Space Shuttle Discovery Launched at 4:50PM ET today

I was talking to a friend at work today about the shuttle launch.  We were reminiscing about previous launches and how this will be one of the final shuttle missions before the entire program is scrubbed.  I'm hopeful that while there's not much more to do with the current program and that taxpayer money is perhaps better spent elsewhere right now, I have to think that space exploration is 'soon' headed beyond the capabilities of current shuttles.  Mars anyone?  Read more to watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

According to Engadget  "This is the last mission for Discovery and the third-to-last mission for the entire Space Shuttle program, and it's the first mission to carry a humanoid robot into space: our friend Robonaut 2"