Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off at NASA's Kennedy Space Center atop a column of fire on the STS-125 mission.

Framed by trees in the foreground, space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a column of fire on the STS-125 mission. Atlantis will rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph-Kevin O'Connell