(A) Final Mission

[krpalmer]

I was stuck at work when space shuttle Atlantis lifted off this afternoon, although we are graced with the ability to look at one online news site (not the site I'd go to first). This final servicing mission to the space telescope (for some reason, reading magazines and books at the start of the space shuttle's career where the satellite didn't have an astronomer's name yet made it stick as just "the space telescope" to me) took a long and uncertain while to get around to. As many have pointed out, the mission has its special risks, and beyond that a lot of challenges... but while I find myself interested in all space shuttle flights, I'm just hoping I'll find the time to follow this one through.