CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As clouds of smoke and steam smother Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis soars above them atop a column of fire. Atlantis will rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 mission. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray-Tom Farrar
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date May 11, 2009