Last Launch For Atlantis ‘Phenomenal’

May 14, 2010 — Cape Canaveral, Florida — Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off in its final mission Friday afternoon, carrying six astronauts, cargo, critical spare parts, and a Russian laboratory toward the International Space Station. The 32nd flight for Atlantis brings to a close nearly a quarter century of service for the space vehicle. Two shuttle missions remain on NASA's schedule after the Atlantis flight. The Russian-built Mini Research Module-1, which will provide additional storage space a new docking point for Russian Soyuz and Progress aircraft, is inside the shuttle's cargo bay. It will be attached to the bottom port of the station's Zarya module. "Launch was just phenomenal," said NASA’s Bill Gerstenmaier during a post-launch news conference. He cited the launch and processing teams' hard work in preparing Atlantis for liftoff, even with a tighter timeframe after the vehicle's rollout to Launch Pad 39A was delayed in late April due to weather. "The teams stayed focused, they kept moving forward and they just did a great job," Gerstenmaier said. "The vehicle looks like it's in really good shape. We're ready to go do the very challenging mission in front of us." The shuttle crew is scheduled to dock to the station Sunday morning. The mission’s three spacewalks will focus on storing spare components outside the station, including six batteries, a communications antenna and parts for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm. Commander Ken Ham is joined on the STS-132 mission by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen, and Piers Sellers, all veteran space fliers. Good and Sellers rode Atlantis into orbit on their first space missions in 2009 and 2002, respectively. After completing the 12-day STS-132 mission, the shuttle's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for 8:44 a.m. on May 26. STS-132 is the 132nd shuttle flight and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. NASA TV is providing continuous coverage of the mission, including live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. In addition, live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the mission and landing.

Liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on its final mission. Launch was on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT. Image credit: NASA The Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1 is prepared for installation in the payload canister before transport to Launch Pad 39A. The module, known as Rassvet, will used for storage and will provide an additional docking port. Rassvet translates to “dawn.” Photo credit: NASA

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