CAPE CANAVERAL -- Space shuttle Atlantis thundered off its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center into cloudless skies Friday afternoon and headed to the International Space Station on the 32nd and final planned mission of its 25-year career.It was a bittersweet moment for the shuttle workers standing outside the landmark Vehicle Assembly Building to watch the first of the final three launches before the shuttle is retired later this year. It was also emotional for the six-member crew that strapped into Atlantis for possibly the last time.Said shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach, minutes before launch: "I'd like to wish you all good luck and Godspeed and have some fun out there."Replied Atlantis commander Ken Ham: "Thank you to the thousands of folks out there who have taken care of this bird for a long time…. If it's ok with you , we're going to take her out of the barn and take her for a few more laps around the planet."Astronaut Dave Wolf watched the launch from a top of the Orlando Sentinel's office at KSC. "It never gets old," he said.Tens of thousands of spectators crowded Space Coast beaches and causeways to catch a glimpse of the historic flight. Defense Secretary Robert Gates; David Letterman, host of the CBS "Late Show;" and Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Space Agency, were among the crowd of 40,000 at KSC, along with 150 space enthusiasts selected by NASA for a "tweetup."Ham leads an all-veteran flight crew: Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Piers Sellers, Steve Bowen and Garrett E. Reisman, who spent three months aboard the space station in 2008.Atlantis' dramatic liftoff capped a near-perfect countdown and almost trouble-free launch preparations by NASA, marred only by the discovery in the shuttle's payload bay of a ball bearing that had fallen out of a camera system. Engineers had to ensure that the absence of the bearing would not pose a flight danger before they gave the go-ahead for liftoff.Ironically, after 29 years of flight and the loss of two orbiters, NASA's preparations for recent launches have been among the smoothest in the program's history, thanks to multiple modifications to the orbiter and the long experience of the contract workers who prepare it to fly. As many as 9,000 workers are set to lose their jobs when the program ends.A few hours after launch, NASA officials said they spotted a few stray bits of insulating foam that was shed by the shuttle's fuel tank, but nothing large enough to cause problems.During the 12-day mission, the astronauts will conduct three spacewalks to deliver and install a Russian-built mini-Research Module, a set of batteries and a dish antenna, along with other equipment need to complete the $100-billion station before shuttle is mothballed later this year or early next."Twelve days, three [spacewalks], tons of robotics. We're putting on spares that will make us feel good about the long-term sustainability of [the space station]," said shuttle Program Manager John Shannon in a preflight interview. "This flight has a little bit of everything."Reisman, Good, and Bowen will take part in the spacewalks to install the backup antenna, the solar array batteries and other equipment. Sellers, who will operate the station's robot arm during the spacewalks, will help move and install the 7,760-pound research module, also known as "Rassvet," which is Russian for "Dawn."The new module comes with a docking ring so that Russian spacecraft – which will bring American astronauts to and from the station once the shuttle is retired -- can attach to the orbiting complex. President Obama's proposed budget calls for developing commercial rockets that can take crew and cargo to the space station while NASA focuses on developing a new rocket that will carry humans beyond lower-Earth orbit and eventually to Mars.In addition to the spares and equipment, British-born astronaut Sellers has packed a piece of science history: a sliver of wood from the apple tree under which Isaac Newton is believed to have been sitting when an apple fell on his head, inspiring him to post the law of gravity."While it's up there, it will be experiencing no gravity, so if it had an apple on it, the apple wouldn't fall," Sellers said in a pre-flight interview. "I'm pretty sure that Sir Isaac would have loved to see this, assuming he wasn't spacesick, as it would have proved his first law of motion to be correct."The almost 4-inch wood chip was provided by Britain's Royal Society to help celebrate its 350th anniversary. The society has also provided an image of Newton, a former president of the Royal Society, to accompany the piece of tree into space.But it was the symbolism of the launch, more than the work that lies ahead for the astronauts, that drew many of the spectators and long-time NASA officials.Only two more launches are scheduled this year before the program ends. NASA's latest plan calls for Discovery to launch in September, followed by Endeavour in November. However, that schedule could change.There is also a chance that this might not be Atlantis' last flight. After landing in just under two weeks, the spacecraft will be prepared as a mission-ready rescue vehicle for Endeavour's final flight. Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier said at a press conference that he hoped officials would know by June if another Atlantis mission would be launched – possibly in June 2011.
The  ''Atlantis'' blasted off earlier today for its final mission.
The  '''' launched today for its final planned mission in space, .

''Atlantis'' lifted off in fair weather at 2:20 p.m. EDT (1820 UTC) from the  in , Florida. The launch was viewed by over 40,000 spectators at Kennedy, including a small group chosen by NASA for a space "tweetup". Carrying six veteran astronauts and an assortment of parts for the International Space Station (ISS), the shuttle took off without any delays. This mission, scheduled to take twelve days, is the aging shuttle's 32nd voyage into space of its 25-year career.

While no damage to the shuttle was seen, a piece of  near the ISS caused minor concern (but no delays). The shuttle is expected to dock at the ISS early Sunday morning, and the crew will perform maintenance work on the ISS next week. If everything proceeds without incident, ''Atlantis'' will leave the ISS on May 23 and land on May 26.

This flight also marks the third-to-last mission of NASA's , which is being retired this year. However, ''Atlantis'' will still be maintained as an emergency rescue shuttle for the final Space Shuttle mission, and while NASA could also use ''Atlantis'' to resupply the ISS, it has not yet made a final decision regarding the plan.