Friday, May 14, 2010

Atlantis (STS 132) LIFT OFF!


  • Successful Launch for Atlantis; News Conference Coming Up

    Fri, 14 May 2010 11:53:46 AM PDT

    Space shuttle Atlantis is officially in orbit, kicking off its STS-132 mission and the pursuit of its target, the International Space Station. Atlantis lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center right on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT, rising into a picture-perfect Florida sky and capping a relatively problem-free countdown.

    NASA Television will air the STS-132 postlaunch news conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT with Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, Alexey Krasnov, chief of Piloted Programs Directorate, Roscosmos, Mike Moses, chair, prelaunch Mission Management Team, and Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director.

  • (source: NASA)

  • Space Shuttle Mission: STS-132 Liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on its  STS-132 mission Image above: Liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-132 mission. Launch was on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT. Image credit: NASA TV

    STS-132 Overview

    Space shuttle Atlantis is embarking on its final planned mission. During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and six astronauts will fly to the International Space Station, leaving behind a Russian Mini Research Module, a set of batteries for the station's truss and dish antenna, along with other replacement parts.

    NASA astronaut Ken Ham will command an all-veteran flight crew: Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Garrett Reisman, Piers Sellers and Steve Bowen.

    After the final STS-132 Flight Readiness Review, John Shannon, Space Shuttle Program manager, pointed out that Atlantis' last planned mission will be an exciting one.

    "Twelve days, three [spacewalks], tons of robotics... We're putting on spares that make us feel good about the long-term sustainability of the ISS, replacing batteries that have been up there for a while, and docking a Russian-built ISS module," Shannon said. "This flight has a little bit of everything, and it's been a great preparation for the team."

    No comments: