Shuttle lifts off after delays

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Space shuttle Endeavour rocketed toward the International Space Station yesterday as engineers on Earth pored over launch pictures that showed debris breaking off the fuel tank and striking the craft.

Mission Control told the astronauts late Wednesday that the damage looked less extensive at first glance than what occurred on the last shuttle flight, but it will take days to sort through available data to reach a conclusion.

The astronauts planned an afternoon inspection of their ship's thermal shielding, using a 30-meter laser-tipped boom. The procedure has been standard since shuttle flights resumed after the Columbia accident.