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| Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132's crew (from L-R), mission specialists Michael Good, Garrett Reisman, pilot Dominic Antonelli, commander Kenneth Ham, mission specialists Stephen Bowen and Piers Sellers pose for a group photo after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 10, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
WASHINGTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to deliver a Russian module and equipment to the International Space Station, which is the last planned flight for the 25-year-old spaceship. There are six astronauts aboard the shuttle.
Ken Ham, a captain in the U.S. Navy, commands STS-132 and its crew. As commander, he has overall responsibility for the safety and execution of the mission and oversees the crew and ensure mission objectives are met. He will fly Atlantis during its rendezvous and docking to the space station and landing back on Earth. He has spent more than 13 days in space and has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 40 different types of aircraft.
Tony Antonelli, a commander in the U.S. Navy, pilots STS-132. He will assist Ham with rendezvous and landing, and will fly the orbiter during undocking and the flyaround. This is Antonelli's second trip to space. Selected as a pilot by NASA in 2000, Antonelli has accumulated more than 3,600 hours of flight time in more than 41 different kinds of aircraft.
Garrett Reisman, who holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, serves as mission specialist 1 on STS-132. In 2008, Reisman completed his first spaceflight, spending more than three months in space and accruing more than seven hours of extravehicular activity, or EVA, time. He launched to space with the STS-123 crew and returned home on STS-124.
Michael Good, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, is making his second trip to space on STS-132, serving as mission specialist 2. In 2009, he served on the crew of STS-125, the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, spending nearly 13 days in space and logging almost 16 hours of EVA time during two spacewalks.
Steve Bowen, the first-ever submarine officer selected by NASA and a captain in the U.S. Navy, is assigned to serve as mission specialist 3 on STS-132. He completed his first spaceflight aboard STS-126 in 2008 where he spent more than 15 days in space and logged more than 19 hours of EVA time in three spacewalks.
Veteran astronaut Piers Sellers serves as mission specialist 4 on STS-132. His two previous spaceflights include STS-112 in 2002 and STS-121 in 2006.
Related:
U.S. shuttle Atlantis lifts off for final journey
WASHINGTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on Friday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to deliver a Russian module and equipment to the International Space Station, which is the last planned flight for the 25-year- old spaceship.
According to NASA TV, the shuttle blasted off at 2:20 p.m. EDT (1820 GMT) on a tower of flame, rising into a picture-perfect Florida sky. Full story
