ASTRONAUTS TO SPACEWALK INTO NEW ERA.

Byline: Martin Merzer Knight Ridder Newspapers

And so, the chase is on. The adventure begins.

Space shuttle Endeavour's six hard-hat astronauts blasted safely into space Friday on the first flight dedicated to construction of the new International Space Station.

Now they must catch and reel in a chunk of Russian hardware, then float 240 miles above Earth as they begin assembly of the mammoth and controversial orbital outpost.

Costing taxpayers $52.7 billion and scheduled to take six years, the space station is the most ambitious U.S. space project since the Apollo moon landing. Built by a coalition of 16 nations, it is one of the most massive peacetime projects ever attempted by the world community.

``Let's go do this,'' commander Robert Cabana said as he boarded Endeavour early Friday.

``Amen,'' replied a launch controller.

And off they went, to build a space station.

The shuttle is carrying a six-sided connecting node called Unity. The first U.S.-built component for the space station, Unity must be bolted to the Russian Zarya component, a 20-ton power unit hoisted into orbit two weeks ago by an unmanned Russian rocket.

To achieve that, Endeavour's crew will rendezvous with the first component Sunday, then pull it into the shuttle's payload bay.

Next week, astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman will conduct three spacewalks, linking the two components with connectors and umbilical cords.

It is the wave of the future: Assembly will require 1,800 hours of spacewalks, far more than have been attempted during the entire history of human spaceflight. More than 100 components weighing 1 million pounds must be launched. Thirty-three shuttle flights and 12 unmanned Russian rockets will be needed.

``It's going to start out kind of small, but it's going to grow to the size of a football field,'' Cabana said.

Cabana and his five crew mates lifted off from Launch Pad 39A shortly after 3:30 a.m. (12:30 a.m. PST), an odd hour dictated by the need to rendezvous with the Russian component. As Endeavour blasted off, the Zarya module passed almost directly over the Kennedy Space Center.

A day earlier, liftoff was scrubbed after an alarm flashed and blared in Endeavour's cockpit. By the time engineers determined that nothing was seriously amiss, the launch window had closed.

No such incident marred Friday's countdown. About eight minutes after blastoff, the crew achieved orbit.

Though a year behind schedule - a delay caused mostly by Russia's economic problems - the liftoff represented a significant step forward for the international space fraternity.

Dignitaries from around the world, many representing the 16 partner nations, gathered to watch the blastoff. Among those on the guest list: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

``This is a visionary idea,'' she said. ``This is an investment in the future.''

Others offered a different view.

Ralph DeGennaro, executive director of Taxpayers for Common Sense, expressed opposition to the project.

``NASA should not just delay but actually cancel the most costly manned space program in the history of humankind,'' he said.

In addition to Cabana, Ross and Newman, also aboard Endeavour are pilot Rick Sturckow, mission specialist Nancy Currie and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev.

If all goes well, they will return to the space center on Dec. 15.

And, quite naturally, the astronauts expect everything to go very well indeed.

Before the mission, Cabana was asked to gauge his feelings about a mission so significant.

``You wake up upbeat and ready to go,'' he said. ``This is the culmination of what a lot of people have been working for. It's just a heck of a mission.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Holiday lights make a colorful complement to the shuttle liftoff.

Craig Bailey/Associated Press

(2) NASA Administrator Dan Goldin celebrates the launch of Endeavour early Friday with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Terry Renna/Associated Press