Yesterday, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The shuttle's mission (STS-129) is to deliver 27,250 lbs. of spare parts
to the International Space Station (ISS), and will last 11 days and include 3
spacewalks.
Atlantis astronauts will also install two platforms along the
backbone or truss of the ISS. These platforms are designed to hold the spare
parts needed to maintain space station operations after the retirement of
NASA's entire space shuttle fleet in September 2010. There are only five more
shuttle launches remaining.
Engineers Onboard
STS-129 is commanded by Charles Hobaugh and piloted by Barry
Wilmore. Raised in Ohio, Colonel Hobaugh is
a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received a
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1984. Barry
"Butch" Wilmore, a former Navy test pilot who is making his first mission into
space, holds both a B.S. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee
Technological University (TTU). Captain Wilmore also earned an M.S. in Aviation
Systems from the University
of Tennessee.
Mission astronauts include Robert Satcher,
Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik, and Leland Melvin. STS-129 will also return
crew member Nicole Stott to Earth, making the mission the final space shuttle
crew rotation flight. A native of Albany, New York, Stott began her career as a structural design
engineer with Pratt & Whitney Government Engines in West Palm Beach, Florida.
She is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
and the recipient of a M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida.
More Images
Thanks to Joby
Minor, a photographer who currently works for NASA in Huntsville,
Alabama, CR4 has permission to bring you more images of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in Cape
Canaveral, Florida.
(All photos courtesy of Joby Minor – copyright 2009).
Would you like to see more images of Atlantis? Then click here to visit the complete album on
CR4_News, our Facebook page.
Note: You don't have to belong to Facebook to view these extraordinary
photographs. But if you are a member, we invite you to become a fan of CR4_News there. Just click the "Become
a Fan" link. It's that simple.
Resources:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hobaugh.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_P._Stott
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hobaugh.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/17/content_12471243.htm
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