Atlantis on 'Final Countdown' to May 14

On May 14, 2010 at 2:20 p.m. the space shuttle Atlantis with a six member crew compliment will be on the final countdown to liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on a 12-day mission to rendevouz and dock with the International Space Station for the last time. The Atlantis spacecraft is slated to be retired at the STS-132 mission end.

The goals are to beef up storage space with a Russian mini research module weighing 17,000 pounds. The module is 23-feet long. NASA also have plans for a new docking port for Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. Three astronaut spacewalks are planned to put spare parts outside the station if needed and replace six large batteries.