William Gerstenmeier and Wayne Hale monitor proceedings before the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station.

In the Launch Control Center, William Gerstenmeier (left), associate administrator for NASA Space Operations Mission, and Wayne Hale, shuttle program manager, monitor proceedings before the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle is delivering a new segment to the starboard side of the International Space Station's backbone, known as the truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 21st flight to the station, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the first of four flights planned for 2007. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett