Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off for final launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Friday in front of an estimated 500,000 people – including five Canadian astronauts – on the final flight of the 30-year program.

680News carried it live on-air, and you can also watch the live video feed from NASA here. 680’s Momin Qureshi was lucky enough to take in all the sights and sounds, and despite being a good two miles away from the launch site, he said watching history unfold in front of his eyes was something not to be missed.

Live NASA feed below (courtesy of: NASAtelevision/Ustream):

The crowds gathered to watch the event early. By 6 a.m., cars and RV were packed into almost every available space along U.S. 1 in Titusville, with cameras already trained on the launch pad in the hazy clouds across the Indian River. Many had planted chairs and staked out viewing locations just feet from the water. Some were still cocooned in sleeping bags as the sun rose.

Fuel filled Atlantis’ tank in the pre-dawn hours and the four shuttle astronauts suited up after sunrise, although forecasters stuck to their original 70 per cent chance of thunderstorms or rain.

Mission managers acknowledged it might seem foolish to proceed with fueling, given the dismal forecast, NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said. They said they would take another look at the forecast and decide whether it made sense to keep counting down. Orlando had been drenched by torrential rains on Thursday, and more of the same was scheduled for Friday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of cars were lining up along Highway 528, unable to get a spot in the Space Centre after it sold out for the event. Others were gathered along the coast at diners and restaurants.

Notables on the guest list included a dozen members of Congress, Cabinet members, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, four Kennedy family members, singers Jimmy Buffett and Gloria Estefan, and two former National Aeronautics and Space Administration chiefs.

Qureshi described the launch moment as a spectacular sight. Although it was touch and go with the countdown clock being stopped at 31 seconds due to a last minute computer glitch, the problem was quickly resolved and the countdown continued.

Faces in the crowd lit up and applause rang out as the shuttle lifted into the sky, leaving behind huge plumes of white smoke and a fiery red ball. It disappeared into the crowd for approximately 15 seconds, but came back into view for another 10 seconds before leaving Earth’s atmosphere.

However, the thought of the Space Shuttle program ending upset many in the Orlando area, who told Qureshi they are very sad to see the program end.

Atlantis holds a year’s worth of supplies — more than 3,600 kilograms — for the International Space Station. Canada has provided many of the supplies for the astronauts, as well as the Canadarm.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of this adventure, and to see it come to an end in terms of the last shuttle flight, I find it a little bit bittersweet. It’s amazing to have been a part of it, but it’s kind of sad to see it end,” said former Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean, one of the five Canadian astronauts taking in the launch.

NASA was required to launch the shuttle before Monday or it would have had to wait until at least July 16 because of an unmanned rocket launch scheduled for next week.

The 12-day mission will close out the space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia in 1981. Atlantis will join Discovery and Endeavour in retirement, so NASA can focus on sending astronauts to asteroids and Mars. Private companies will take over the business of getting space station cargo and crews to orbit.

It will be another three years — possibly five or more — before astronauts blast off again from U.S. soil.

This is the 33rd flight for Atlantis, the 135th shuttle mission overall and the 90th mission for the Canadarm since its debut in 1981.