SHUTTLE FULL OF TECH GRADS

Nearly 100 of astronaut Shane Kimbrough’s relatives breathed a collective sigh of relief as the space shuttle Endeavour lifted off safely Friday night from Cape Canaveral.

“It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time,” said Scott Kimbrough, who traveled to Florida from west Cobb County with his wife and sons to watch his older brother’s launch. “It was unbelievable. We’re so happy and proud for Shane.”

Shane Kimbrough, who grew up in Smyrna and attended The Lovett School, is one of three Georgia Tech graduates on the seven-person crew headed to the international space station for a 15-day mission. Pilot Eric Boe grew up in DeKalb County, and Sandra Magnus completed her doctorate at Tech.

The shuttle rose off its launch pad at 7:55 p.m., right on time, in a brilliant flash of light visible for miles around.

Scott Kimbrough said he and family members watched the liftoff from 3.9 miles away, and a night of celebration was planned that included Shane’s wife, Robbie. She met her future husband in the youth program at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta.

Back in Atlanta, other Lovett graduates gathered at Clark and Cindy Butler’s home to watch the launch.

“He might be the smartest guy I’ve ever been in the room with,” said Clark Butler.

Endeavour’s crew will be tackling the most extreme home makeover project ever attempted by astronauts, according to The Associated Press.

“It’s our turn to take home improvement to a new level after 10 years of international space station construction,” Cmdr. Christopher Ferguson radioed before liftoff.

Ferguson and his crew will double as kitchen and bathroom installers once they arrive at the space station Sunday, hooking up extra cooking and sleeping equipment so the station’s crew can expand next year. They will deliver a new refrigerator as well, giving residents much-desired cold drinks for a change.

The materiel will enable NASA to double the space station’s three-person crew by June.

Before liftoff, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin called it “a working man’s flight.”

The nighttime launch was a special treat for onlookers. Only about a quarter of all shuttle flights begin in darkness, and this one made for a spectacular show. The moonrise that preceded the launch was an extra touch; the nearly full moon provided a breathtaking backdrop.

As it rose, the shuttle was visible for more than three minutes, resembling a bright star until it finally vanished.

NASA almost called off the launch at the last minute because workers didn’t fasten a door on the pad. Launch controllers assured everyone that the flapping door would not break off and strike Endeavour and that, at worst, the room used to gain access to the shuttle would be damaged.

“The vehicle’s in good shape, the weather’s beautiful,” launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts just before liftoff. “Good luck, Godspeed, and have a happy Thanksgiving on orbit.”

Irradiated Thanksgiving turkey dinners were sent along for everyone, with plenty of space-style candied yams, corn bread stuffing and cranberry-apple dessert.

Back in Atlanta on Friday night, more than 500 gathered for a launch celebration at Fernbank Science Center in Decatur. The viewing party included MoonPies and hot cocoa, along with rocket lessons in the planetarium.

The Christie family, including Scott and Cindy and children Evan and Nathan, were excited that a former DeKalb County resident, Eric Boe, was a part of the launch.

The Christies started the night together to watch the science center’s theater program, but later split up, with Cindy taking 3-year-old Nathan out to find an activity.

“I want to make a rocket,” Nathan told his mom. With colorful drinking straws and paper, even the smallest future astronauts could participate.

As the time of the liftoff got closer, even the smallest children were still, all eyes on the large viewing screen. When the shuttle launched, everyone cheered, and parents hugged youngsters.

Some of Boe’s classmates at DeKalb’s Henderson High School attended the festivities at Fernbank.

“It’s amazing what he’s done,” said Patty Uceda Schmitt, Henderson class of 1984. “He always had higher goals.”

Schmitt brought a group of 10 family members with her Friday night and met up with another classmate, Valerie Hunt Brickell, who grew up near Boe.

“He dated our best friend,” said Schmitt, who still has his prom picture.

Deanna Walker brought her boys, Corey and Justin, to see the launch because of their interests in science. Justin, 7, wasn’t sure whether he really wants to be an astronaut.

“But I do want to see the moon,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.