Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from its launch pad toward Earth orbit. - Stock-Fotografie

May 11, 2009 - Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The payload includes Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.