Next Shuttle Launch Might Be After Dark

For the first time in four years, the next space shuttle launch attempt will probably be at night, NASA said. The first launch possibility for Discovery will be at 9:38 p.m. Dec. 7.

After the Columbia disaster in 2003, the U.S. space agency began requiring that launches be in daylight so the shuttle could be photographed to spot possible damage during liftoff.

NASA has launched three shuttle flights since the Columbia disaster, all in daylight and with new inspection equipment. The most recent two launches lost small amounts of foam that didn’t threaten the shuttle.