Kamiloiki Elementary School teacher Dawn Shinsato's third to fifth graders staged their own liftoffs today following the launch of the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center.

Gifted and talented students from Kamiloiki, which is applying to become a math, science and technology signature school, participated in the project.

Each student built a rocket, constructed the fuselage, nose cone, retrieval system — including the parachute and neon flag — and installed the engine.

The project focusing on Newton's Third Law of Motion (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) began in January.

The Discovery and seven astronauts headed for a rendezvous with the International Space Station after a pre-dawn liftoff on one of the last missions for NASA's shuttle program.

The shuttle carrying four men and three women should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday. The nearly two-week mission will stock the station with supplies and experiments.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.