MOSCOW - A rocket carrying the Olympic flame successfully blasted off Thursday from earth ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. NASA Live TV showed the rocket, emblazoned with the pale blue Sochi 2014 logo, launching from the Russian-operated Baikonur cosmodrome on a clear morning in Kazakhstan. The torch will make its way to the International Space Station before being taken into space itself -- making it the Olympic flames first spacewalk in history. Russias Mikhail Tyurin, NASAs Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata of Japan beamed at the crowd as they carried the lit torch aboard the Soyuz rocket. For safety reasons, the torch will not burn when its onboard the space outpost. Lighting it would consume precious oxygen and pose a threat to the crew. The crew will carry the unlit torch around the stations numerous modules before taking it out on a spacewalk. The Olympic torch has flown into space once before -- in 1996 aboard the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis for the Atlanta Summer Olympics -- but will be taken outside the spacecraft for the first time in history. John Stallworth Youth Jersey . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. Diontae Johnson Steelers Jersey .Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...o-Brown-Jersey/. - A week after a late-game debacle on defence, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they can finish. Antonio Brown Youth Jersey .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. John Stallworth Steelers Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations.LONDON -- West Ham striker Andy Carroll has lost his appeal against a three-match ban for violent conduct following his red card against Swansea. The Football Association says that an independent panel rejected Carrolls claim of wrongful dismissal, and the ban will take immediate effect. Carroll was shown a straight red card just before the hour mark on Saturday when his flailing arm caught Swansea defender Chico Flores on the head in West Hams 2-0 victory.dddddddddddd The FA said in a statement that the panel had to "apply the test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was an obvious error." Carroll, who set up both goals on Saturday, will now miss Premier League matches at Aston Villa and against Norwich and Southampton. ' ' '