space shuttle launch

Seven astronauts boarded NASA's space shuttle Atlantis this morning, preparing for the long-awaited final mission to repair and improve the Hubble Space Telescope. The launch is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. ET.

"Outstanding to be here, looking forward to getting off the pad," Cmdr. Scott Altman radioed from the shuttle on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Arguably the most technically ambitious in-space servicing project ever, the 11-day NASA mission includes five planned spacewalks to install new instruments and perform difficult repairs on Hubble, which was launched more than 19 years ago.

The current mission is the fifth and final servicing trip to Hubble and could provide the space telescope with 10 to 70 times its current discovery power. New batteries should keep the enhanced Hubble active for at least another five years and possibly as many as ten, NASA scientists say.