Endeavour lifts off on two-week mission
(CNN) -- The space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center early Monday on a two-week mission to the international space station.
The shuttle quickly pierced light cloud cover along the Florida coast in a brilliant launch.
By about 4:30 a.m. on Monday, the shuttle had achieved a stable orbit, according to NASA.
The six-member Endeavour crew is delivering a key module to the space station, and is expected to dock there early on Wednesday.
Cmdr. George Zamka is leading the STS-130 mission. Joining him aboard are pilot Terry Virts, and mission specialists Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire, NASA said.
iReport: Share your photos, video of the launch
The crew is delivering a third connecting module, an Italian-built Tranquility node and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room for robotics. The mission also will include three spacewalks.
See launch photos from the Orlando Sentinel
It's a busy week for NASA, with the agency also preparing to launch a Solar Dynamics Observatory into orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket on Tuesday.
Only four more shuttle launches are scheduled before the program ends.
Endeavour was originally scheduled to lift off early Sunday, but low cloud ceilings forced a nearly 24-hour delay.
Authorities were meeting Monday morning to decide how to proceed. Officials still do not know exactly how many people were on site at the time of the blast, so they cannot determine whether anyone is missing, Santostefano said. Sunday's blast took place at the under-construction Kleen Power Plant, while plant workers purged a natural gas pipeline, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said. Kleen Energy Systems said on its Web site that the plan is gas-fired but can use other fuels. It was expected to produce 620 megawatts of power and would be one of the largest power plants in New England. Residents up to 20 miles away reported hearing the blast about 11:19 a.m. ET. The plant had been expected to go online this summer, Giuliano said. WTNH.com coverage of Middletown explosion Middlesex Hospital in Middletown received 26 patients from the incident, its Web site said. One seriously injured patient was flown to Hartford Hospital and another was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Two of the injured were admitted to Middlesex Hospital, while the remaining 22 weren't expected to spend the night. Emergency crews were delayed entering the plant, because it was on fire and the natural gas had to be turned off, Santostefano said. People miles away reported hearing or feeling the blast. "It felt like the house was shaking," said Peter Moore of Durham, about 10 miles away. Moore said his mother, who lives in Woodbridge, about 20 miles from the plant, said it "sounded like someone pounded on the back door a couple of times." "It was almost like an earthquake," nearby resident Lynn Townsend told CNN affiliate WTNH. She said she heard the explosion and went outside to see "a very big, bright orange flame" between the plant's two smokestacks, and dialed 911. "It really shook the house," she said. "Everybody was scared. The kids started to cry."Power plant blast kills 5; investigation planned
Search-and-rescue teams had scoured most of the blast site by about 2:30 a.m. ET Monday, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano. One small portion was deemed unsafe to enter, he said.Middletown, Connecticut (CNN) -- State and federal investigators were expected to launch an investigation Monday at a power plant where an explosion killed at least five people and injured more than two dozen, authorities said.
overage from CNN affiliate WFSBSantostefano initially said 50 to 60 people, most of them construction workers, were working at the time. He said he thought most of those had escaped the blast.
Authorities were meeting Monday morning to decide how to proceed. Officials still do not know exactly how many people were on site at the time of the blast, so they cannot determine whether anyone is missing, Santostefano said. Sunday's blast took place at the under-construction Kleen Power Plant, while plant workers purged a natural gas pipeline, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said. Kleen Energy Systems said on its Web site that the plan is gas-fired but can use other fuels. It was expected to produce 620 megawatts of power and would be one of the largest power plants in New England. Residents up to 20 miles away reported hearing the blast about 11:19 a.m. ET. The plant had been expected to go online this summer, Giuliano said. WTNH.com coverage of Middletown explosion Middlesex Hospital in Middletown received 26 patients from the incident, its Web site said. One seriously injured patient was flown to Hartford Hospital and another was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Two of the injured were admitted to Middlesex Hospital, while the remaining 22 weren't expected to spend the night. Emergency crews were delayed entering the plant, because it was on fire and the natural gas had to be turned off, Santostefano said. People miles away reported hearing or feeling the blast. "It felt like the house was shaking," said Peter Moore of Durham, about 10 miles away. Moore said his mother, who lives in Woodbridge, about 20 miles from the plant, said it "sounded like someone pounded on the back door a couple of times." "It was almost like an earthquake," nearby resident Lynn Townsend told CNN affiliate WTNH. She said she heard the explosion and went outside to see "a very big, bright orange flame" between the plant's two smokestacks, and dialed 911. "It really shook the house," she said. "Everybody was scared. The kids started to cry."Power plant blast kills 5; investigation planned
Search-and-rescue teams had scoured most of the blast site by about 2:30 a.m. ET Monday, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano. One small portion was deemed unsafe to enter, he said.Middletown, Connecticut (CNN) -- State and federal investigators were expected to launch an investigation Monday at a power plant where an explosion killed at least five people and injured more than two dozen, authorities said.
overage from CNN affiliate WFSBSantostefano initially said 50 to 60 people, most of them construction workers, were working at the time. He said he thought most of those had escaped the blast.
Los Angeles County prosecutors have said criminal charges related to Jackson's death last summer would be filed Monday. Prosecutors have not said who would be charged or what the charges would be, but Murray's attorneys have said he expected to be charged. Charges originally were expected to be filed last Friday, but they were delayed because prosecutors and Murray's chief defense lawyer, Ed Chernoff, failed to reach agreement on a surrender deal for the doctor, a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the talks said. A surrender -- in which a defendant turns himself in at a police station for booking -- would allow the doctor to avoid being seen in public handcuffed and escorted by police. "An arrest of Dr. Murray would be a waste of money, time and resources," Chernoff said last week. "We've always made it clear: You tell us where; we'll be there." The doctor traveled to Los Angeles at the end of January from his home in Houston, Texas, in expectation of possible charges, his lawyer said. Murray used part of his time last week to visit the pop star's resting place in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Murray, a cardiologist, was hired as Jackson's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in London, England. The doctor told Los Angeles police that he was withJackson at his $100,000-a-month rented Holmby Hills mansion through the early morning of June 25, 2009, in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep, according to a police affidavit. He administered sleep aids, and after Jackson finally began sleeping late in the morning, Murray said, he left the bedroom for "about two minutes maximum," the affidavit says. "Upon his return, Murray noticed that Jackson was no longer breathing," it says. The doctor stayed with Jackson as an ambulance rushed him to UCLA Medical Center. Efforts at CPR proved fruitless, and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson's death a homicide, resulting from a combination of drugs, primarily propofol and lorazepam. The coroner's statement said Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication," but there were "other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine effect." Lorazepam and two other drugs Murray said he used are benzodiazepines. The doctor told investigators he had given Jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing, a police affidavit said. Murray had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer's death. The doctor told investigators he gave Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol, the generic name for Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip. The doctor told police he was worried that Jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it. During the two nights before Jackson's death, Murray said, he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep.Charges to be filed in Jackson death; physician to surrender
Murray will turn himself in at a courthouse at 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), they said in a written statement.Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Dr. Conrad Murray, personal physician to Michael Jackson, will surrender to authorities Monday afternoon, his attorneys said.
In last year's version of the Copa Libertadores, two Mexican sides, Chivas Guadalajara andSan Luis, made it out of the group phase. But how could they stage the home leg of their second round ties? It was at the height of the swine flu epidemic, with Mexico at its epicentre. The South American Federation unsuccessfully tried to find an alternate venue, gave up and announced that the fate of the Mexican clubs would be decided on a single match, the away leg. Chivas and San Luis pulled out in protest, and Mexico - which is in North America and participates in the tournament on an invitation basis - broke off relations with South American football. Mexico's clubs take part in a top class, traditional competition, while TV money for the South Americans is boosted by the exposure to the massive Mexican market. A peace formula was soon found. Part of it was that Chivas and San Luis would be reinstated in this year's version of the Libertadores - at the stage where they pulled out in 2009. So the group phase kicks off this week, but the Mexican pair don't have to go through it. They are already through to the second round. Twenty teams went in to it, just five were eliminated and the other 15 joined the holders in the knock out rounds. Then, a decade ago, the competition was expanded, with 32 teams chasing 16 slots. This year, because of the automatic qualification of Chivas and San Luis, there are only 14 slots available - and coming second in the group will not guarantee one of them. Only the eight group winners and the six best runners up will make the cut. The pressure is on right from the start. With the two extra Mexicans, and also a brief qualifying round, a record 40 clubs are taking part in this year's Libertadores. The competition has come a long way since it kicked off in 1960 with just seven participants. For Uruguay it was a godsend . A population of only three million placed an inevitable limitation on the possibilities of domestic football. International club competition soon became a necessity - and with a pair of big clubs (Nacional as well as Penarol), the Uruguayans lobbied for the Libertadores to be expanded from one team per country to two. Times have changed - especially since Brazil conquered hyper-inflation in the mid 90s. Previously, the clubs could meet their commitments by paying late. Suddenly they were living in the real world. And over time, the penny dropped that the Libertadores, expanded and with increased TV money, was a much more interesting competition than Brazil's obsolete state championships - from both a financial and a footballing point of view. The Libertadores is now the number one objective of Brazilian clubs. With motivation high, the currency strong and a longer national domestic league introduced in 2003, Brazil's representatives have become the teams to beat in the Libertadores. They have provided seven of the last 10 finalists, and last year supplied four of the last eight. But in each of the last three years, the title has eluded them. This year's contingent looks like the biggest display of strength in depth that Brazil has ever sent to the Libertadores - spearheaded by Corinthians, desperate to record their first win in their centenary year. If lack of maturity on the big occasion has been the problem in recent finals, it shouldn't apply to Corinthians. Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos are part of a squad rich in veterans, apparently hand picked to withstand the pressure of the campaign. Where is the threat going to come from for them and their compatriots? Part of the charm of the competition is that you can never be entirely sure. The Libertadores always has the potential to throw up a surprise. Colombia has two titles, and threatened to become a force in mid-decade, but have since fallen badly backwards. Ecuador has one title - the rising force of LDU in 2008. But they just failed to qualify this year. Chile has one title, but though there are slight signs of a revival, it is years since a Chilean club made a serious challenge. Mexico has never won, though their clubs have put in some splendid performances since they were invited in 12 years ago. And this year they have four teams in the field, with Chivas and San Luis, as we have seen, already in the last 16. But the obvious place to look for likely challengers is Argentina. Between 1963 and 79 there was always an Argentine club in the final, giving the Libertadores a special place in the country's footballing culture. The country can boast 22 wins to Brazil's 13, with two in the last three years. Last year's win was emblematic. Estudiantes threw off their own poor start to deservedly win the trophy in a campaign where all their compatriots were eliminated early. Can the likes of little Banfield, current Argentine champions, do battle against the Brazilians? There is an excellent gauge of the two countries' strengths in the first week. On Wednesday Velez Sarsfield, probably the strongest of the Argentine sides, host Cruzeiro of Brazil, last year's beaten finalists. It is a wonderful way to get the 51st Libertadores out of the blocks - especially as there is a chance that only one team from the group will reach the next round. From last week's postbag; He was Paraguay's top scorer in qualification, and after not getting on the pitch in the last World Cup, would have been in the team this time. Even without him, though, Paraguay have some attacking options - Santa Cruz and Haedo Valdez, Benitez Eurocentric readers will probably be thinking of Benfica's Oscar Cardozo. Paraguayans, meanwhile, might have more faith in the very promising Pablo Velasquez of Libertad. He left Brazil as a competent right footed finisher who couldn't do a great deal else. And you only have to look at the unbelievably bad marking on the goal that Robinho scored for Santos this weekend to realise that Keirrison would be taking a step up that he might not have been ready for. Another problem is that Benfica were scoring so freely without him, meaning that there were few opportunities for him to pick up what he most needs - first team playing time. There is potential there. One of the factors that might determine his fate at Fiorentina is how successfully he's been working to widen his game over the last few months.Mexico mounts multiple Copa challenge
One of the less orthodox after effects of swine flu is the headache it gives the administrators of South America's premier club competition.
It didn't last. There is too much to be gained from the current arrangement.
This means that the group phase of the 2010 Libertadores will be the most competitive in the 51 versions of the competition. For many years, the group phase was a phoney war.
The early giants, who carved up the first four titles, were Penarol of Uruguay and Santos of Brazil. Their two countries, though, saw the Libertadores through very different perspectives.
When they were successful in 1966, Brazil pulled out in protest. Giant and relatively isolated from its Spanish-speaking neighbours, Brazil could do without the Libertadores. Santos opted not to take part. They would rather travel the world playing lucrative friendlies. And in 1969 and 70, as well as 66, there was no Brazilian participation.
Some trends can be identified, though. Uruguay has seven titles, but none since 1988. Paraguay has three (all Olimpia, who have not qualified), but local standards have suffered since Mexican clubs have been buying so many Paraguayan players.
There is a fascinating aspect to the Argentine representation in 2010. In a year full of powerful Brazilian clubs, none of the traditional Argentine big five have qualified - only the third time this has ever happened.
Comments on the piece in the space provided. Other questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
I was wondering if you had any information on the condition of Salvador Cabanas, the Paraguayan striker who was shot in the head in Mexico City. Is he likely to recover?
I believe he was a shoe-in for a World Cup place, do Paraguay have anyone to replace him?
Sam Cooper
His recovery seems to be surprising the doctors. He even told his dad that he'll be playing in the World Cup, though that would seem to be pushing it too far.
and a choice of rangy, left footed forwards.
I have a question about striker Keirrison. Great at Palmeiras and on the radar again with his move to Fiorentina, but why do you think he has not shone at Benfica? Is it too early to doubt him? And do you think he will succeed in Italy?
Thomas Liekens
Not the slightest surprise that he hasn't been an instant smash in Europe. This was an easy one to predict.
The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl with a surprise 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Miami. Drew Brees hit a record-equalling 32 passes for 288 yards, with touchdowns to Pierre Thomas and Jeremy Shockey. And cornerback Tracy Porter returned an interception from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning 74 yards for another score to seal victory. Garrett Hartley kicked three field goals of over 40 yards as the Saints came back from 10-0 down early on. Indianapolis, who won the NFL title in Miami just three years ago, went into the game as favourites. They were soon up by 10 points, after kicker Matt Stover, the oldest player in Super Bowl history at 42 years and 11 days, hit a 38-yard field goal and Manning found receiver Pierre Garcon for a touchdown after a withering 96-yard drive. But the Saints hit back with 13 unanswered points, 23-year-old Hartley slotting kicks of 46 and 44 yards before half-time as New Orleans dominated the second quarter. Coach Sean Payton then wrenched the initiative with an audacious gamble for a short kick-off to start the second half. Sights & sounds of the Super Bowl (UK users only) New Orleans came out with the ball from the ensuing melee and Brees - voted the game's Most Valuable Player three years after he was allowed to leave his old team San Diego as a free agent - hit Pierre Thomas for the go-ahead score. Denied the ball for 70 minutes, including a lengthy half-time that included a performance by The Who, Indianapolis looked sharp as they drove for a touchdown on the ground from Joseph Addai. But veteran Stover could not match Hartley's exploits, fading wide left with an attempt from 51 yards early in the fourth quarter. New Orleans went up by seven with the score by tight end Shockey, followed up by a two-point conversion from Brees to Lance Moore. Porter's 74-yard interception touchdown (UK users only) And Porter secured the victory by punishing a poor decision by Manning, who tried to force a throw to favourite target Reggie Wayne in the face of heavy pressure. Manning, who grew up in New Orleans as the son of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning, left the field disconsolate after tasting Super Bowl defeat for the first time in his storied career. It was an emotional victory for the Saints, a team who went 20 years before recording their first winning season and a further 23 before appearing in this, their first NFL title game. The team's resurgence has been seen as a mirror of the rebuilding of the city of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "We just believed in ourselves," said Brees. "We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us." As he lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, New Orleans owner Tom Benson said: "Not only the city but the whole state of Louisiana is back and this shows the whole world."Saints upset Colts in Super Bowl
