U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on mission to ISS

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 (Xinhua) --

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to deliver a stockpile of spare parts for the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).

    According to NASA, Atlantis' mission will focus on storing spare hardware on the exterior of the ISS. In total, NASA said some 27,250 pounds (12,360 kilograms) of spares will be delivered to keep the orbiting outpost in service after the shuttle fleet is retired, including two control moment gyroscopes, used in maneuvering the station. An experiment by students at Texas Southern University in Houston that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is also heading to orbit aboard Atlantis.

    "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 the liftoff.

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

    Following a smooth countdown, with no technical issues and weather that steadily improved throughout the afternoon, the shuttle blasted off on time from Launch Pad 39A at 2:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT), NASA TV shows. The five engines boosting Atlantis and its external tank toward orbit shut down as planned about eight and a half minutes into flight.

    "A perfect launch, right on time," said a NASA spokesman after the shuttle reached orbit.

    Atlantis will reach the space station on Wednesday. As the shuttle blasted off, the station was soaring 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the South Pacific.

    Atlantis' 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles' retirement. This equipment is large and can only be transported using the unique capability of the shuttle.

    Atlantis also will bring back station crew member Nicole Scott, who has been living at the space station since the end of August. This is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight for the station.

    The STS-129 mission is NASA's fifth and last shuttle mission for 2009. There are just five more shuttle launches scheduled before the planned September 2010 retirement of the space shuttle fleet.

Editor: Yan

Crew members of U.S. shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 (Xinhua) --

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to deliver a stockpile of spare parts for the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). The following are brief introductions to the six astronauts aboard the shuttle.

    Veteran astronaut Charles Hobaugh: a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, will lead the crew of STS-129 mission. He served as pilot on STS-104 in 2001 and STS-118 in 2007. Hobaugh has overall responsibility for the safety and execution of the mission, orbiter systems operations, and flight operations, including landing. He will also fly Atlantis through its rendezvous and docking to the ISS.

    Barry Wilmore: a captain in the U.S. Navy, will serve as pilot for Atlantis. This will be his first journey into space. Selected by NASA in 2000, he has served in various shuttle technical jobs and on the astronaut support team. He will be responsible for orbiter systems operations, will assist Hobaugh with rendezvous, and will fly the orbiter during undocking and the fly around.

    Randy Bresnik: a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, will serve as a mission specialist for Atlantis. Selected by NASA in 2004 as a pilot, he was assigned as Astronaut Office support for ISS, Automated Transfer Vehicle, H-II Transfer Vehicle, and Constellation programs. This will be his first journey to space. Bresnik will participate in two of the three planned spacewalks.

    Mike Foreman: a retired U.S. Navy captain, will serve as a mission specialist aboard Atlantis. He served as a mission specialist on STS-123 in 2008. Selected by NASA in 1998, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Space Shuttle Branch and served as Deputy of the Space Shuttle Branch. Foreman will participate in two of the three planned spacewalks.

    Astronaut Leland Melvin will serve as a mission specialist on Atlantis. He flew on STS-122 in 2008 as a mission specialist. He has served numerous organizations within NASA including the Education Department at NASA Headquarters. Melvin has traveled across the country engaging thousands of students and teachers in the excitement of space exploration, and inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

    This is the first spaceflight for Robert Satcher Jr. He was selected by NASA in 2004 and completed his initial training in 2006. Satcher worked as an orthopedic surgeon and did medical missions in Venezuela and Nigeria. He will participate in two of the three planned spacewalks.

Editor: Yan

Students send microbe experiment on shuttle U.S. Atlantis

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 (Xinhua) --

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to deliver a stockpile of spare parts for the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). According to NASA, an experiment by college students that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is heading to orbit aboard Atlantis.

    Undergraduate and graduate students at Texas Southern University in Houston developed the experiment.

    "I'm thrilled that giving students the chance to design and research an experiment to fly in space is one of the tools we have at NASA to engage them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori B. Garver said. "These young people are our future, and providing an opportunity to inspire them is a major part of our mission at NASA."

    NASA's Office of Education selected Texas Southern University as a 2008 University Research Center (URC). Texas Southern established a Center for Bio-nanotechnology and Environmental Research. Students at the center developed the Microbial-1 experiment to evaluate the morphological and molecular changes in E. coli and B. subtilis bacteria.

    "The University Research Center Project is designed to enhance the research infrastructure and capacity at minority institutions," said Katrina Emery, NASA's URC project manager at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. "By engaging in participatory learning opportunities like this experiment, students can see themselves as researchers, now and in the future."

    This space shuttle flight experiment is a proof-of-concept model for the URC project to give students hands-on experience. The experiment provides the university students the opportunity to design, monitor and execute the study in laboratories, as well as near real-time on the space shuttle. Each component of the experiment is designed for easy reproduction in the classroom, providing a valuable experience to students.

    Texas Southern University is one of 13 universities to receive grant funding from NASA's URC project. The project is designed to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions and increase the production of underrepresented and underserved students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Editor: Yan