Space Shuttle Launch LIVE VIDEO: Atlantis Lifts Off For Space Station (PHOTOS)

**Scroll down for photos, video**

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis rocketed into orbit Monday with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station. The supply run should keep the space station humming for years to come, and the shuttle astronauts in space through Thanksgiving.

Atlantis shot smoothly through a partly cloudy afternoon sky, to the delight of about 100 Twittering space enthusiasts who won front-row seats. It was NASA's first launch "tweetup," and the invitees splashed news – mostly tweeting "wow" and "amazing" about the liftoff – over countless cell phones and computers.

"We wish you good luck, godspeed, and we'll see you back here just after Thanksgiving," launch director Mike Leinbach told shuttle commander Charles Hobaugh right before liftoff.

Atlantis will reach the space station Wednesday. As the shuttle blasted off, the station was soaring 220 miles above the South Pacific.

"We're excited to take this incredible vehicle for a ride and meet up with another incredible vehicle," Hobaugh said.

NASA wants to stockpile as many pumps, tanks, gyroscopes and other oversize equipment as possible at the space station, before the three remaining shuttles retire next fall. None of the other visiting spacecraft is big enough to carry such large pieces.

The space agency expects to keep the space station flying until 2015, possibly 2020 if President Barack Obama gives the go-ahead.

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During their 11-day flight, Hobaugh and his crew – including the first orthopedic surgeon in space, Dr. Robert Satcher Jr. – will unload the nearly 30,000 pounds of equipment and experiments. Most of the gear will be attached to the outside of the space station on storage platforms.

Three spacewalks will be conducted beginning Thursday to hook everything up and get a jump on the next shuttle flight.

The launch seemed to go perfectly. Only three small pieces of foam insulation were spotted coming off the fuel tank, too late to be of any concern, said Bill Gerstenmaier, head of NASA's space operations.

"What a great way to start this mission," Gerstenmaier told reporters. He cautioned that the flight ahead was tough and "we need to stay focused."

While NASA officials were pleased, the Twittering invitees were downright ecstatic. They were among the first to sign up online last month for the opportunity to see a launch up close, and filed Twitter updates practically nonstop:

"Back in the tweetup tent. General attitude is `Do it again! Do it again!'" one wrote.

"All 100 nasa twitters should be on the next shuttle!" another tweeted.

"Never been more proud to be a geeky, dorky, intelligent space fangirl!!" said another.

NASA estimates the 100 tweeters, or tweeps as they're called, have a following of more than 150,000. The space agency sees it as a beneficial outreach program, especially as the shuttle program winds down and the future remains murky. Obama has yet to chart a course for American astronauts, beyond the shuttle and station. A moon rocket under development is supposed to replace the shuttle, but the lunar exploration program is in jeopardy.

This is NASA's last shuttle flight of the year and one of only six remaining. If all goes as planned, the six spacemen will return to Earth the day after Thanksgiving, bringing home a seventh astronaut, Nicole Stott, who has been living at the space station since the end of August.

The astronauts will have to forgo the usual Thanksgiving fare. NASA did not pack any special turkey-and-trimming dinners aboard Atlantis. Hobaugh, the commander, didn't want any.

If the astronauts want poultry on Thanksgiving, they'll have to settle for turkey tetrazzini in rehydratable pouches or thermostabilized chicken fajitas. There's also plenty of barbecued beef brisket.

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On the Net:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission(underscore)pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Watch the Atlantis space shuttle launch on NASA TV here or watch the space shuttle blast off in the video below:

See pictures of the Atlantis Shuttle below.

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Comments

[ancientmarinader]

Only five shuttle flights left. This is the second to last for Atlantis.

[BraveWarrior]

No doubt we are getting ready to announce a new, multi-billion dollar space program. With NASA's announcement of water on the moon the ruling elites finally have a destination to escape to. Now that we know that world governments have secretly been planning for the 2012 events the Mayans predicted. No point digging mine shafts since the predicted seismic activities would make it an unsafe sanctuary. Add the perfect touch of having the people that will have to be left behind to pay for the project. I suspect that I now know the reason why we keep seeing flying saucers Their role is to protect the cosmos' sentient and intelligent beings, from the rapid dogs we call humans. Imagine the thrill of finding a planet populated by sweet, friendly Spongebob looking creatures. How long would it be before thousands of our war ships would be headed to their planet to defend mankind's right to take their gold, uranium, whatever, even if we have to kill them all? The elite may be shocked to find that they are not wanted, nor allowed to leave this world- you know the one they have destroyed for profit..

[pinoytutorials]

"I could stay away, in this sweet sutrendeerr" , "I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep"

you put the next line _ _ _ _ :D

Haha, it would be better if there was music on the background­... Even the mission was a little bit simple, I think this was a bit more spectacular than the moon-bombing held last month.

as for the post, I guess its time to reminisce the moon bombing days last month

The whole moon-bombing video with NASA Geeks: http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/lcross-moon-bombing-videos-from-nasa/

[Muzikal203]

Sometimes watching this stuff makes me wish I'd decided to be an astronaut, or at least an astronomer.

[freethinking moderate]

Someone with more expertise than me can answer this question that has puzzled me for some time:

With modern materials, why isn't it possible to build a newer and better Saturn rocket to take more payloads more often into space? if not the Saturn V, why not a similarly sized rocket with 2010 technology?

America did more with less in the 1960s and yet we cannot do better?????

[whatbox]

You mean, like this one?

http://www.spacex.com/

It should be launching within the next week or two.

[jsarets]

Yes, but SpaceX Falcon 9 has about 8% the capacity of Saturn V.

I'm a big fan of SpaceX, but they can only dream of building a heavy lifter someday. Their largest engine (Merlin) produces about 100klbf, whereas each of the 5 F-1 engines on the Saturn V first stage produced 1500klbf.

[jsarets]

The Space Shuttle system has approximately the same 120mT IMLEO capacity as the Saturn V, but the Shuttle orbiter takes up more than 95mT on its own, leaving less then 25mT of useful payload capacity to low earth orbit.

Atlas V is the modern technological analogue to Saturn V (LOX/RP-1 first stage, LOX/LH2 upper stage), but it is much smaller, with 10-21mT IMLEO depending on configuration.

The barrier, as always, is money and politics.

Also, there are few payloads larger than 25mT to create demand for a bigger launch vehicle, and there are techniques such as earth orbit rendezvous and propellant depots that can be used to assemble larger beyond-earth orbit missions from smaller pieces.

[ancientmarinader]

The current NASA moon program calls for the Ares V to be built but it may not survive. The Ares V can lift about 50% more payload than a Saturn V. If we end up with an Ares V "lite", that will lift about 20% more than a Saturn V.

I think it's very likely that a new heavy lift rocket will be built but the exact one is currently up in the air. We may end up with a more directly shuttle derived heavy lift that just carries a cargo pod instead of a shuttle. This would do about 20% less than a Saturn V. Or we might get a shuttle derived in-line rocket that carries slightly more.

[jkpcguru]

Anytime now, were going to see a comment from someone who is complaining about NASA's exis existence during a time of high unemployment and poor economy.

I say to them the following this:
1. NASA's mission is supported by not just government employees but many government contract employees.
2. A recession is no reason to get off the ball on Space Exploration. Our country's stature in the world depends on our Space Exploration superiority.
3. One day, this earth WILL be inhabitable. Humans must find other means of extending our existence.
4. Space Exploration is one thing that puts a thirst for knowledge in our young people. We cannot afford to have a lost generation of Math & Science educated students not entering the workforce.

[a270]

I don't see how any significant is accomplished by repeatedly orbitting people around the earth. Better to send fleets of robots to Mars and the Moon.

[ancientmarinader]

Once shuttle is gone, the next program will likely either be the moon or visits to asteroids. So we'll have both ISS and an actual exploration program, which we havent had in 35 years.

[s miller08]

I'm for NASA's existence, too. Maybe to foster more interest, they should offer scholarships, etc. Do they offer scholarships?

[ForVivi]

I know you meant UN-inhabitable, yet I hope your typo will become the reality, as opposed to getting a few chosen up to an alien environment only to mess that up as we did with Earth.

I believe we'd be best served with a change in the collective consciousness regarding how to live sustainably. I guess the thought of inhabiting another planet sounds easier than that!