Main Engine Cutoff: Atlantis Reaches Orbit

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:11:10 -0500

After a smooth countdown and picture-perfect liftoff, space shuttle Atlantis and a crew of seven astronauts are in space, ready to begin their 11-day mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis lifted off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:01 p.m. EDT.

From the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the booster officer confirmed Atlantis' trio of main engines cut off on time at 2:10 p.m. With Atlantis safely in orbit, its giant external fuel tank was jettisoned. Onboard cameras recorded the tank's condition as it fell away from Atlantis and descends toward Earth.