Atlantis space shuttle lifts off

The US space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on one of the last supply runs to the International Space Station before the shuttle fleet is retired next year. The shuttle roared off its seaside launch pad on Monday afternoon, punching through a thin layer of clouds as it soared over the Atlantic Ocean heading toward an orbital linkup with the space station on Wednesday. Atlantis carries nearly 30,000 pounds of pumps, gyroscopes and tanks of nitrogen, ammonia and oxygen, as well as other gear too big to be carried by the Russian, European and Japanese cargo ships that will keep the station supplied after the shuttles are retired. "It's been the workhorse of just getting the big parts up," Atlantis commander Charles Hobaugh said of the shuttle in a prelaunch interview. "The station itself right now is an incredible vehicle. We just need to provide its sustainment." Following Atlantis' mission, which is scheduled to last 11 days, NASA plans five more flights to complete the station. The shuttle is being replaced by a capsule-style spacecraft called Orion that can travel to the moon and other places in the solar system in addition to the station, which orbits about 225 miles above Earth. The station is a $100 billion project of 16 nations and has been under construction for more than a decade. NASA plans to end the 30-year-old space shuttle program next year, bowing to long-standing concerns about safety and the expense associated with maintaining and flying Atlantis and its two sister ships, Discovery and Endeavour.

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ITN | November 16, 2009

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