It’s the final countdown for the Atlantis: The space shuttle took off for its 32nd and final planned flight on Friday. It carried six crew members, a Russian docking module, and spare parts for its 12-day trip to the International Space Station, where the crew will perform repairs. The Atlantis will remain in the NASA fleet as an emergency-rescue vehicle to support NASA’s other shuttles until they are retired later this year or early next year.
Read it at The New York Times
