Atlantis readies for final shuttle launch

Despite a good chance of thunderstorms, Atlantis is fueled up and ready to blast off this morning in the final mission of America's 30-year space shuttle program.

The very last launch for a space shuttle is set for 11:26 a.m. ET.

The crew donned their orange suits and departed for launch pad 39A at 7:36 a.m.

Thousands of people, among them those who came to Kennedy Space Center three decades ago for the very first launch, gathered to watch. Almost a million are expected to be on hand to witness the historic event.

But it's summer in Florida and the weather remains a wild card. Violent storms yesterday prompted NASA teams to carry out checks on the Atlantis. NASA said the shuttle escaped damage from two lightning strikes.

One bolt emanating from a severe thunderstorm struck a water tower 515 feet from the pad; the second struck the beach nearby, the space agency said in a statement.

Showers are on the radar again today, but breaks in the clouds heightened hopes for today's launch.

"We have a shot at this today," NASA launch director Mike Leinbach said after a weather briefing, according to a tweet from NASA.

The final mission will take four astronauts, all of them shuttle veterans, into space for 12 days where they will deliver supplies to the international space station.

"I don't think we'll see another vehicle like it, for decades perhaps," Atlantis commander Chris Ferguson recently told CNN. "I mean, just the technology involved in flying back from space. It's an amazing vehicle, and its legacy will live on."

UPDATE: Launch video below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ric Alonso resigns from pageant association after porn revelation

Image
Kevin Hogan wasn't the only person this week ambushed out of a job for his participation in the gay adult film industry. FOX News reports : Ric Alonso and his partner of 21 years, Ernie Koneck, have both been both prominent power players in the Southern California Scholarship Association — an incorporated not-for-profit association — which produces the Miss Hollywood pageant, an official preliminary to Miss California, and a feeder to Miss America. Alonso is listed as the first “major sponsor” for 2011 scholarship donations, while partner Koneck has been the pageantry point of contact and is featured in photographs alongside the smiling young sashed pageant contestants. On Tuesday, Alonso was exposed by RadarOnline as adult film actor and producer "Jake Cruise". FOX News adds: Following the revelation, Koneck announced his resignation Tuesday as Executive Director of the Southern California Scholarship Association, and said Alonso was in no way involved in the Miss Holl
Read more

Regarding the Barry Manilow concert in Coral Gables

Image
[ Editor's note ] Three monumental things have happened to me at the BankUnited Center. In 2004, my high school held its graduation ceremony there. In 2008, I heard presidential nominee Barack Obama speak about the future. And this past Saturday night, I saw the incomparable Barry Manilow perform in concert. To say that Barry remains every bit the superstar I was hoping for is putting it mildly. At 67 years young, he brought all the magic, the smiles, and the bandstand boogie he's famous for and then some. Funny, talented and charmingly self-deprecating, Barry Manilow remains without equal. Admittedly, the night started off rather poorly. Barry’s opening act was a man named Gerry McCambridge who has allegedly been wowing audiences at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas since 2005. As the creative force and inspiration behind the TV show The Mentalist , McCambridge's schtick is to do clever things with numbers. Honestly, I've never thought that doing anything with numbers w
Read more

Gay porn actor Timothy Boham found guilty of murder in Denver

Image
Update on last week's story . Towleroad reports : It was almost two-and-a-half years ago when Timothy Boham (known also by his adult film persona Marcus Allen) was taken into custody just steps away from the Mexico border, on the run following the murder of Denver businessman John "JP" Kelso.Yesterday he was convicted of murdering Kelso, his former boss and sexual partner, and will spend the rest of his life in jail: Timothy Boham, 28, was found guilty by a nine-woman, three-man jury in Denver District Court of first-degree murder after deliberation, felony murder and aggravated assault. Colorado law mandates that someone found guilty of first-degree murder must spend the rest of their life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Judge Will Hood Jr. will hand down the sentence Tuesday. The jury took less than five hours to convict Boham, whose lawyers — Amber St. Clair and Kristan Wheeler — claimed that his victim, wealthy Denver businessman J.P. Kelso, committed su
Read more