A seven-member crew lifted off on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS 125 at 2:01 p.m. EDT on May 11, 2009. It was the second flight of 2009 and the 30th for Atlantis.
The seven astronauts on board include commander Scott Altman, shuttle pilot Gregory C. Johnson and mission specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Michael Massimino and Andrew Feustel.
The crew is on a mission to upgrade the aging Hubble Space Telescope. The 19 year old structure will be refitted with new capabilities including new gyroscopes, batteries and a new unit to store and transmit science data back to Earth. The enhancements will extend the lifespan of the Hubble through 2014.
The 11 day mission, 350 miles up, is not without risk. One potential threat is the growing amount of space debris that could cause a direct strike to Atlantis For the first time ever, the space shuttle Endeavor is on the launch pad and ready to go, should Atlantis get into trouble.
Check out photos and video of the lift off of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS 125 below.