US Space Shuttle Endeavour Sets Off for Space Station

The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven astronauts blasted into space on Friday night local time on a mission to the international space station.

Bill Gerstenmaier, the Associate Administrator for Space Operations at NASA, gave a brief introduction to the mission.

"The 20 of November is the tenth anniversary of space station. We're starting to do lots of research on the space stations. This new equipment that we bring up, we talk about doing a home improvement and getting the space station ready. I think it really is the first step in exploration and the first step in the transition."

The shuttle and its seven astronauts are on a mission to redo the insides of the space station, adding some extra bedrooms, a spare bathroom and a kitchenette.

By the time Endeavour leaves, the space station will have morphed into a five-bedroom, two-bath, two-kitchen home. The goal is to expand the size of the space station crew from three to six by next June.

Endeavour and its crew will spend 15 days in orbit. NASA hopes to extend the mission to 16 days if possible.