At 8.56 am, on Monday, space shuttle Endeavour lifted off on its 25th and final launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Two weeks ago, on April 29, Endeavour’s STS-134 mission was scrubbed on account of mechanical issues.
Today, technicians looked for trouble, but none appeared, except for a minor issue with a chipped tile which was quickly remedied.
Some 500,000 people were expected to crowd into Brevard to observe the launch, but given the relatively light volume of traffic, observers say the numbers were far less.
Endeavour’s mission is being commanded by Mark Kelly, whose wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had returned to Florida to observe the launch. Giffords was shot in the head in January when a lone gunman opened fire, but has made remarkable progress toward her recovery.
During the 16-day mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour’s crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas and a high-pressure gas tank.
The other members of Endeavour’s crew are, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.
