News Flash
U.S. shuttle Atlantis lifts off for final journey
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-15 03:20
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| Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on a mission to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2010. A crew of six astronauts is aboard Atlantis for a 12-day mission. [Agencies] |
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 The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2010. A crew of six astronauts is aboard Atlantis for a 12-day mission.[Agencies] |
WASHINGTON -- U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to deliver a Russian module and equipment to the International Space Station, which is the last planned flight for the 25-year-old spaceship.
According to NASA TV, the shuttle blasted off at 2:20 p.m. EDT (1820 GMT) on a tower of flame.
The two booster rockets, which account for 80 percent of the shuttle's lift during takeoff, peeled away as planned about two minutes and five seconds after the launch. They fell back toward the Atlantic Ocean, where they will land under parachutes and be subsequently retrieved and reused. They are equipped with cameras to record the performance of Atlantis' external tank and any foam loss seen during Atlantis' ascent.
The five engines boosting Atlantis and its external tank towards orbit shut down as planned about eight and half minutes into flight. The milestone means the spacecraft and its crew of six astronauts reached orbit.
