Explanation:
Atlantis has lifted off, but not from launch pad 39A.
Instead, this
sharp,
wide-angle photo taken on April 13,
shows the space shuttle orbiter lifted off the floor of
Kennedy Space Center's
Vehicle
Assembly Building.
Shortly afterwards, Atlantis was attached to an external fuel tank
and solid rocket boosters prior to
roll out.
Now resting on pad 39A, Atlantis is
scheduled for its actual liftoff on May 14.
Embarking on the
STS-132 mission to the International
Space Station , that launch will represent the final
scheduled launch for Atlantis.
Atlantis was named for a sailing ship operated for the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute from 1930 to 1966.
The maiden voyage of the
Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle-104,
began on October 3, 1985.
In 1991, Atlantis deployed the
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.
