10:49:00 a.m. EDT. Liftoff occurred as scheduled with no delays. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent anti-apartheid activist, received an official farewell at his retirement service
For the first time in the history of the Space Shuttle program, live video images were transmitted from the flight deck from crew ingress through main engine cutoff.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent anti-apartheid activist, received an official farewell at his retirement service, marking the end of a remarkable career of social justice and reconciliation in South Africa.