Tampabay.com

MAY 10, 2009

Atlantis' Mission

Shuttle_Hubble_NY377 reduced 

To infinity

NASA has selected an official launch date for the STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The Atlantis space shuttle with Commander Scott Altman and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 11, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments. After the astronauts' visit, the telescope's capabilities will be expanded and its lifetime extended through at least 2014.

Commander Altman will be joined on the mission by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The spacewalkers are Feustel, Good, Grunsfeld and Massimino. McArthur is the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations.

Check out the Times Special Report to read all of the details.

Would you travel to space? What are the dangers of space travel? How can space debris effect the mission? Do you think traveling to space is worth the risks?

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

Most Recent Blog Posts

About the blog

The NIE Blogging Zone is a great place for teachers, parents and school administrators to share their thoughts about how they are using the Tampa Bay Times in their classrooms and to share thoughts about teaching, classroom management, the school system and education in general. If you have a burning topic to suggest or questions about the NBZ, e-mail jpushkin@tampabay.com

Advertisement

DAILY CARTOON

click to enlarge

ANDERTOONS.COM TEACHER CARTOONS

Cartoons by Andertoons

Registration FAQ

Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site.