Atlantis Going Fishing On Electrical Experiment

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The shuttle Atlantis thundered into orbitFriday on an international mission to test a satellite-on-a-ropetechnique that engineers say could revolutionize space flight.

The mission is a joint venture of NASA and the Italian SpaceAgency, and includes Swiss, Italian and Costa Rican-born astronauts,as well as four U.S.-born crew members.

The main goal of the seven-day mission is to demonstrate anotion developed by Italian scientists: the concept of tyingspacecraft together with an electrical cord.

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