Soyuz Burns A Hole In The Blue Baikonur Cosmodrome Sky Enroute To Orbit

Launch today of the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft. The Expedition 23 crew experienced spotty voice communications during accent but that was the only reported problem during an otherwise flawless launch. The launch escape system (although not needed) appears to have functioned properly despite problems during the last Soyuz flight.