Launch of space shuttle Atlantis STS-122
The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-122 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 2:45 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on February 7, 2008. The launch was the third attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's (ESA) Columbus laboratory to the station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective was to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities. Onboard are astronauts Steve Frick, commander; Alan Poindexter, pilot; Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, ESA's Hans Schlegel, Stanley Love and ESA's Leopold Eyharts, all mission specialists. Eyharts joined Expedition 16 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the ISS.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: STS122-S-035
Date: February 7, 2008
Launch of space shuttle Atlantis STS-122
The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-122 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 2:45 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on February 7, 2008. The launch was the third attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's (ESA) Columbus laboratory to the station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective was to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities. Onboard are astronauts Steve Frick, commander; Alan Poindexter, pilot; Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, ESA's Hans Schlegel, Stanley Love and ESA's Leopold Eyharts, all mission specialists. Eyharts joined Expedition 16 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the ISS.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: STS122-S-035
Date: February 7, 2008