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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As if erupting from the bed of cattails at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis trails a column of smoke while racing to space on the STS-125 mission. Atlantis will rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope . Liftoff 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 credit: NASA/Ben Cooper