Atlantis' Final Mission

Space shuttle Atlantis is revealed after retraction of the pad's rotating service structure Thursday evening, May 13, 2010 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis' 12-day mission — its last — will deliver a Russian-built storage and docking module to the International Space Station.

The crew of STS-132: (Clockwise from bottom) astronauts Ken Ham, commander; mission specialists Garrett Reisman and Michael Good; Tony Antonelli, pilot; and mission specialists Piers Sellers and Steve Bowen.

Astronaut Mike Good waves as he is submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, near NASA's Johnson Space Center during training last September. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, Good is making his second trip to space. Last year he served on the crew of the final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, logging almost 16 hours of EVA time.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman (shown here during an Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit fit check in the Crew Systems Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center on March 17) was a crew member on NEEMO V, living on the bottom of the sea in the Aquarius habitat for two weeks in 2003. After completing work in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch (primarily working on the space station robotic arm), Reisman (who holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering) completed his first spaceflight in 2008, spending more than three months in space as a flight engineer with the Expedition 16 and Expedition 17 crews.

British-born American astronaut Piers Sellers (left) and mission specialist Steve Bowen acknowledge cheers from the crowd as they leave the Operations and Check-Out building at the Kennedy Space Center Friday, May 14, 2010. Sellers previously flew on two shuttle missions, in 2002 and 2006, and has logged more than 559 hours in space. Bowen, a U.S. Navy Captain, is the first-ever submarine officer selected by NASA. He previously flew on STS-126 in 2008, participating in three spacewalks.

An STS-132 crew member is strapped into his seat aboard Atlantis, with the help of support astronaut Chris Cassidy.

The space shuttle flight control room at Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities, May 14, 2010. Visible in the foreground are (from left) flight directors Tony Ceccacci and Richard Jones; and astronauts Charles Hobaugh and Steve Frick, both spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM).

Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew head toward Earth orbit Friday, May 14, 2010. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. ET from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Atlantis makes a picture-perfect launch on Friday, May 14, 2010.

To achieve orbit, the shuttle must accelerate to a speed of almost 18,000 miles per hour.

As the shuttle headed toward orbit, Atlantis dropped off its external fuel tank.

The vertical stabilizer of Atlantis intersects the Earth's horizon in this view of the space shuttle's cargo bay, May 14, 2010.

The thin line of Earth's atmosphere and the setting sun are photographed by an STS-132 crew member, May 15, 2010.

While preparing for the routine inspection of Atlantis' thermal protection system on Flight Day 2, the STS-132 crew discovered a cable on the boom was pinched, preventing the sensor package pan-and-tilt unit from moving properly. The crew must resort to photographs taken from the International Space Station to complete the inspection of the shuttle's exterior.

Atlantis is seen high above the Andes.

Before docking, Atlantis performed a back-flip maneuver above southern France so that astronauts in the International Space Station could photograph the shuttle's exterior.

Close-up views of the port wing and nose of space shuttle Atlantis, taken by an Expedition 23 crew member, during a survey of the approaching craft prior to docking with the International Space Station, May 16, 2010. The station crew member used a digital still camera with an 800mm focal length, as the two spacecraft were approximately 600 feet apart.

The International Space Station is seen from the vantage of space shuttle Atlantis during its approach and docking Sunday, May 16, 2010.

Atlantis successfully docked with the International Space Station on Sunday, May 16, 2010.

The space shuttle's cabin and forward cargo bay and part of the International Space Station are shown during STS-132's flight day four extravehicular activity, May 17, 2010.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman is seen during the May 17 EVA.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman, anchored to the space station's robotic arm, works to detach a dish antenna from its carrier pallet during the first spacewalk of STS-132. Reisman and Stephen Bowen successfully mounted a 6-foot-wide dish antenna to an 8-foot-tall support boom atop the International Space Station.

Reisman, who carried dirt from the pitcher's mound of Yankee Stadium into space on an earlier mission, sported a New York Yankees' logo on his suit during his EVA. It wasn't his first brush with baseball in orbit. In 2008 Reisman threw a ceremonial opening pitch in space, during a Yankees-Red Sox game. Speed: 17,500 mph.

Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman works during the mission's first EVA, May 17, 2010.

Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman installed a second antenna for high-speed Ku-band transmissions Monday, May 17, 2010.

Astronaut Steve Bowen (partially obscured by the Ku-band antenna), participates in the mission's first EVA on May 17, 2010.

A view of the KU Band antenna, a backup Space-to-Ground transmitter, after its installation at the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Steve Bowen is seen in the first EVA of STS-132, May 17, 2010.

With astronaut Garrett Reisman operating the robotic arm, the Russian Mini-Research Module-1 (MRM-1), named Rassvet, is removed from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Atlantis for attachment to the International Space Station, Tuesday, May 18, 2010.

Rassvet is docked to the International Space Station Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Mission Control described Reisman's operation as "a hole in one."

Space shuttle Atlantis is photographed by an STS-132 spacewalker during the mission's first session of extravehicular activity (EVA) at the International Space Station May 17, 2010.

In the grasp of the station's robotic Canadarm2, the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) is attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB) of the International Space Station. Named Rassvet (Russian for "dawn"), the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia. Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station.

Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson are pictured near freely-floating fresh fruit and vegetables in the Unity node of the International Space Station, May 16, 2010.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi is pictured as fresh tomatoes align in weightlessness in the Unity node of the International Space Station, May 16, 2010.

In this fish-eye lens view, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman is surrounded by windows and computers in the International Space Station's Cupola on May 18, 2010.

Pictured from a window on the International Space Station, the aft section of the docked space shuttle Atlantis (STS-132) is photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member on the station on May 16, 2010.

NASA astronaut Piers Sellers uses a Nikon D2XS digital SLR still camera at an overhead window on the aft flight deck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis May 15, 2010.

NASA astronaut Michael Good participates in the mission's second spacewalk Wednesday, May 19, 2010. During the seven-hour, nine-minute spacewalk, Good and Steve Bowen changed out four of the six 375-pound batteries on the International Space Station's port 6 truss.

The International Space Station as photographed by an STS-132 crew member Thursday, May 20, 2010. The Canadian-built Dextre (also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, or SPDM) is at top left; the station's Canadarm2 is also featured.

NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman participates in the mission's third and final EVA Friday, May 21, 2010.

NASA astronaut Michael Good participates in the mission's third and final EVA Friday, May 21, 2010, as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 46-minute spacewalk, Good and Garrett Reisman completed the installation of the final two of the six new batteries for the B side of the port 6 solar array. In addition, the astronauts installed a backup ammonia jumper cable between the port 4 and 5 trusses of the station, transferred a Power and Data Grapple Fixture from the shuttle to the station, and reconfigured some tools.

Astronauts Michael Good (partially obscured at left) and Garrett Reisman participate in the mission's third and final EVA, Friday, May 21, 2010.

Astronauts Michael Good (foreground) and Garrett Reisman are surrounded by ISS hardware during the flight's final spacewalk, May 21, 2010.

A portion of the starboard wing of Atlantis against a backdrop of Earth is featured in this image photographed by an STS-132 crew member.

Atlantis undocked from the ISS Sunday, May 23, 2010 after a week of assembly work.

The International Space Station, seen after undocking with Atlantis.