Space shuttle Discovery, 7 astronauts blast off

Discovery and seven astronauts rocketed into orbit before dawn today on one of NASA's final stockpiling missions to the International Space Station.

The launch, the last scheduled one in darkness for NASA's fading shuttle program, helped set a record for the most women in space at the same time. Three women are aboard Discovery, and another is already at the space station, making for an unprecedented foursome.

The shuttle should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday.

Problems with Discovery's main antenna cropped up as soon as the shuttle reached orbit and could affect the radar needed for the rendezvous, Mission Control said. A spokesman stressed there were other tools to work around the situation. "We probably won't have answers for you today about what this means," Mission Control told the astronauts.

In a rare treat, the space station passed over the launch site 15 minutes before Discovery blasted off and was easily visible, resembling a big, brilliant star in the clear morning sky with the moon as a dramatic backdrop.

Spectators were impressed, and there was a chorus of "Oooooh". By launch time, the outpost had travelled almost all the way across the Atlantic.