Take a ride on t' external tank as Atlantis slips t' surly bonds o' earth one final time. Arrr! Atlantis lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center right on time at 2:20 pm EDT, shiver me timbers, risin' into a picture-perfect Florida sky and cappin' a relatively problem-free countdown. Avast, me proud beauty! "Launch be 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, ya bilge rat, even with a tighter timeframe after t' vehicle's rollout t' Launch Pad 39A was delayed in late April due t' weather. Begad! "T' teams stayed focused, they kept movin' forward and they just did a great job," Gerstenmaier added. Ya scallywag! "T' vehicle looks like it's in really good shape. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! Moses also mentioned an issue that be 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, ya bilge rat, and be ultimately ruled out as a concern. And although weather is a frequent prelaunch topic at t' Florida launch site, t' day started out with a 70 percent "go" forecast, which ...