Space Shuttle Discovery Launches Two-Week Space Mission The space shuttle Discovery has launched from Kennedy Space Center on a two-week mission to the International Space Station. VOA's Brian Wagner reports the seven astronauts on Discovery will deliver a new module to expand the size of the international orbiter. Light rain showers cleared just hours before the late morning launch of Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Airbus Delivers First A380 to Singapore Airlines Airbus has delivered its new A380 super jumbo jet to its first customer - Singapore Airlines. The delivery is a huge relief to the European plane-maker after a troubled start to the industrial project. Kate Woodsome at VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong has more on this and other business stories from Asia.

Indonesia Crash Report Blames Pilot The Indonesian government says the pilot in a fiery plane crash earlier this year ignored repeated warnings to abandon his landing attempt. The March 7th accident in Central Java claimed 21 lives. NASA to Open New Competition for Space Transportation Seed Money NASA announced Thursday it will conduct a new competition for funding that remains in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project, known as COTS. The new competition follows NASA's decision to terminate its funded agreement with aerospace firm Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City, which repeatedly failed to meet agreed-upon milestones in its effort to develop and demonstrate commercial transportation capabilities to low Earth orbit. NASA Extends Operations for Its Long-Lived Mars Rovers NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers. "We are extremely happy to be able to further the exploration of Mars. Chuck Yeager Broke Sound Barrier 60 Years Ago American test pilot Chuck Yeager flew a plane through the sound barrier on October 14th, 1947. Some say only the Wright brothers -- Orville and Wilbur -- can claim a more significant achievement in the history of flight. Sofia Observatory Enters Aircraft Testing Phase NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, known as SOFIA, began a series of flight tests Thursday of the highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. The tests are the first of several phases required to verify the aircraft is structurally sound for future science flights. This phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.