Take a ride on t' external tank as Atlantis slips t' surly bonds o' earth one final time. Atlantis lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center right on time at 2:20 pm EDT, risin' into a picture-perfect Florida sky and cappin' a relatively problem-free countdown. Aye aye! "Launch was just phenomenal," said Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier durin' a postlaunch news conference. He cited t' launch and processin' teams' hard work in preparin' Atlantis for liftoff, even with a tighter timeframe after t' vehicle's rollout t' Launch Pad 39A be delayed in late April due t' weather. "T' teams stayed focused, shiver me timbers, they kept movin' forward and they just did a great job," Gerstenmaier added. "T' vehicle looks like it's in really good shape. We're ready t' go do t' very challengin' mission in front o' us." Atlantis' on-time liftoff followed a countdown remarkably free o' problems. A small stress fracture spotted on an umbilical strut durin' t' vehicle's final inspection is nay unusual, accordin' t' Mike Moses, chair o' t' prelaunch Mission Management Team. Ya scallywag! Moses also mentioned an issue that was brought up durin' t' countdown's final hold, concernin' a ball bearin' found days earlier in t' shuttle's payload bay. T' bearin' was determined t' likely be a part o' a camera system, me hearties, and was ultimately ruled out as a concern. Arrr! And although weather is a frequent prelaunch topic at t' Florida launch site, matey, t' day started out with a 70 percent "go" forecast, matey, which ...