Enjoy this beautiful image of the space shuttle Atlantis, ready for today's 2:26pm EST launch, because you are not going to see it many more times: Sadly, it is Atlantis' second to last launch. You can watch it live here:Click on the small playback button—and sit through the 30 second ad—to watch it in the page.
This will be the last shuttle launch in 2009. Then we will only have five more launches:
• STS-130 Endeavour: ISS assembly flight 20A: Node 3 and Cupola. February 4, 2010
• STS-131 Discovery: ISS assembly flight Utility and Logistics Flight 4: Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. March 18, 2010
• STS-132 Atlantis: ISS assembly flight 19A: Mini-Research Module 1. Final planned flight of Atlantis. May 14, 2010
• STS-134 Endeavour: ISS assembly flight ULF6, ELC 4, ROEU, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Final planned flight of Endeavour. July 29, 2010
• STS-133 Discovery: ISS assembly flight ULF5, MPLM Leonardo, (to be left pemanently attached), ELC 3. Final flight of Discovery. Final Shuttle flight of the program. September 16, 2010.
All good (and bad) things have to end one day. [NASA]
