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> STS-125 lift-off
STS-125 lift-off
author: Nasa/Novapix
reference: e-sts12-52002
Image Size 300 DPI: 20 * 25 cm
Space shuttle Atlantis roars into the cloudy sky above Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-125 mission. Blue cones of light, mach diamonds, can be seen beneath the engine nozzles. The mach diamonds are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Atlantis will rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. May 11 2009.
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