Monday, May 11, 2009

Live: Atlantis safely in orbit

The space shuttle Atlantis has reached orbit.

The shuttle and its seven-astronaut crew are now en route to the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA says there were no actual system problems during the nine-minute climb to orbit. The main engine issue being discussed during ascent were just sensor errors. The crew was told to disregard the indicator. All the engines performed as planned.

The engines cut off just a moment ago. Commander Scott Altman next will use the orbiter's manuevering system to continue adjusting the shuttle orbit to prepare for a rendezvous with the telescope on Wednesday afternoon.

The crew says they are working to get a visual of the external tank so that they can take photographs to document any lost foam or other problems from the ascent.



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