Space shuttle Atlantis trails a column of fire and smoke to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Creating an image of a century plant in bloom, space shuttle Atlantis trails a column of fire and smoke as it races into space on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida 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 courtesy of Scott Andrews