Check Out Randy's Ride

It's natural to be jealous when reuniting with a classmate who went on to big things -- especially when he gets to wear space suits to work.

Randy Bresnik, a 1985 graduate of Santa Monica High  School, was part of the six-member crew that lifted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.

The space flight is the first for 42-year-old Bresnik, a mission  specialist and U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. He was selected as an  astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004 and completed training in February  2006. His wife, Rebecca, is due to give birth to their daughter on Friday,  while Bresnik is in space, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School  District.

The 11-day mission will deliver 14 tons of spare parts to the  International Space Station and focus on storing spare hardware on the  station's exterior. It will also return Nicole Stott to Earth from the  International Space Station.

The mission will include three space walks, including two involving  Bresnik, and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or  backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station operations  after the shuttles are retired.

Bresnik received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from The Citadel in  1989 and a master's degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee  at Knoxville in 2002. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine  Corps in 1989 and designated a naval aviator in 1992. He flew combat missions  during the Iraq War in 2003.

Bresnik's father, whose name is also Randy, still resides in Santa Monica.

The crew also includes Leland Melvin, who was a record-setting receiver for the University of Richmond and chosen by the Detroit Lions in the 11th  round of the 1986 NFL Draft but released before the start of the season.

Atlantis lifted off at about 11:30 a.m. PST.

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