Shuttle blasts off on 16-day mission

Shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early today to begin what is expected to be the longest international space station mission ever.

It is a 16-day voyage to build a two-armed robot and add a float-in closet for a future lab. Five spacewalks are planned.

Liftoff came in the middle of the night, and it was the first shuttle launch in darkness since 2006.

Japan supplied the laboratory storage compartment that is flying aboard Endeavour. Canada built the robot, named Dextre.