Shuttle Launch 'As Good As it Gets,' NASA Says

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The successful launch of NASA's shuttle Endeavour late Wednesday was a textbook example of U.S. spaceflight, the agency's top official said as the orbiter's astronaut crew circled the Earth.

"The launch operation doesn't get any better than this, it really can't," NASA chief Michael Griffin said of the space shot just before sundown.

A stubborn shuttle hatch, a small crack in external tank insulation and some falling debris during Endeavour's ascent were all minor issues that did not preclude liftoff, mission managers said during a post-launch briefing here at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

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