Nasa is due to launch its latest shuttle mission today to test an inflatable antenna the size of a tennis court. Endeavour and its six-man crew are due to lift off from Kennedy Space Centre at 10:30 (GMT). Tomorrow will be the highlite of the 10-day mission when the astronauts release a small satellite carrying a prototype inflatable communications antenna. Once inflated, the antenna will fly alongside the shuttle for one orbit of the Earth. Nasa hopes to use inflatable structures not just for antenna, but for all kinds of space structures, including sun shades, and support booms because they are lighter, smaller and more cost-effective than traditional systems. As well as six astronauts, Endeavour carries mussel larvae, sea-urchin eggs and starfish embryos. Scientists hope that by studying marine life in space they will learn more about the causes of human bone disorders and birth defects.

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