It was the last shuttle mission to the International Space Station launched by NASA this year.
Atlantis took off at 2:28 pm EST (7:28 pm GMT) to the space center on an 11-day mission, primarily goal being to deliver critical spare parts and equipment, which might be difficult or almost impossible after the shuttle retires next year, to the outpost.
The shuttle commander, Col. Charles O. Hobaugh said, “We’re looking for the long-term outfitting of station.”
The equipments carried now are too large to be launched by the European, Russian and Japanese cargo ships.
"This is a tremendous time in spaceflight," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations. "This last year we've had a very successful year."
Shuttle’s payload
This launch by NASA on Monday was the fifth STS-129 mission and the last of its shuttle launch for this year.
Some 27,000 pounds (12,300 kilos) of ammonia tanks, two nitrogen tank assemblies, gyroscope, and equipment are being carried by the shuttle on its journey to the Space Station. The mission will feature three space walks in the time crew stays there.
These space walks will help store major spare parts along the trusses of the station, along with maintenance of the hardware on the exterior of the station.
This STS-129 mission is piloted by Barry “Butch” Wilmore and veteran astronaut Charles Hobaugh. Four other mission specialists aboard are Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher. For Satcher, Wilmore, and Bresnik it’s the first trip to the space.
This mission will be bringing back current station crew member, station flight engineer Nicole Stott, back to earth after three months.
"We really appreciate all the effort that's gone into making this launch attempt possible," Hobaugh said during a final hold in the countdown. "We're excited to take this incredible vehicle for a ride and meet up with another incredible vehicle, the International Space Station."
Some important spares abroad
Mounted on the twin pallets are two spare gyroscopes, used to control the orientation of the space station in space, a high-pressure oxygen tank for lab’s air lock, and spare ammonia coolant, nitrogen and pump module that might be needed at some point by the station’s cooling system.
Some other components include a power cable spool used by the arm’s mobile transporter, a mechanical hand-like appendage for the robotic arm of the station, a solar battery charge-discharge unit, and a device designed to prevent electrical arcing, which could create a threat to space walkers.
NASA’s attempt to build public interest
In an attempt to build some public interest in the Space activities of the NASA, the agency invited around 100 Twitter users to watch the launch from the front-row seats on Monday.
"They've captured the spirit and excitement we all feel — and managed to do it in very few characters," said Gerstenmaier after reading some comments on the launch on Twitter.
The main focus of this NASA mission is to pave way for its next mission scheduled for February. ISS, a $100 billion joint project of 16 nations, has been under construction for more than a decade now.
American, Japanese, Canadian and European astronauts will ride Russian Soyuz capsules to the space station, paying $50 million per seat, until a shuttle replacement starts again in five to seven years.
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