Tag: Atlantis
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How the Space Shuttle completed a final, daring Hubble repair 15 years ago
The Hubble Space Telescope continues to operate to this day in part due to the work performed 15 years ago by the crew of STS-125. Dubbed Hubble Servicing Mission 4 (HSM 4), scientists knew this would be their final chance to use the space shuttle to visit and upgrade the orbiting laboratory. As we look…
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STS-135 video: ‘Poetry in motion’
Watch the shuttle Atlantis’ backflip, which occurred five years ago today, before docking to the International Space Station. The rendezvous pitch maneuver — the 360-degree flip — enabled the space station’s crew to photograph Atlantis’ belly with handheld digital cameras equipped with 400- and 800-millimeter lenses as part of post-launch inspections of the heat shield.…
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On this date in history: The final space shuttle launch
FIVE YEARS ago today — July 8, 2011 — Atlantis launched on the final space shuttle mission after 31 years as the centerpiece of America’s human spaceflight endeavors. “LIFTOFF! The final liftoff of Atlantis! On the shoulders of the space shuttle, America will continue the dream.” – NASA countdown commentator George Diller “Houston now controlling…
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Atlantis’ legacy continues as healthy Hubble finds primitive galaxies
One of the jewels in NASA’s crown – the Hubble Space Telescope – is continuing to expand our understanding of the universe, with new findings uncovering a previously unseen population of seven primitive galaxies that formed more than 13 billion years ago. However, the discovery was made via an instrument delivered by Shuttle Atlantis during…
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Space Shuttle Atlantis – The Final Goodbye
The culmination of a 40 plus year enterprise comes today – an endeavor that sought to push the boundaries of human ingenuity and cooperation, to expand human aptitude and perseverance, to solidify humankind’s likenesses and dreams. Through concept, design, manufacturing, flight, and now retirement, the Space Shuttle Program shaped the hearts, minds, and desires of…
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Atlantis’ team comforted by the orbiter retiring at her home port of KSC
A few days after the high-visibility move of Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour to her retirement home, a quieter move marked the end of an era October 17th at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) when NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) workers rolled Orbiter Atlantis out of Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) for the…
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Endeavour and Atlantis bid farewell to each other at KSC
And now Endeavour has the left the building. At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) workers backed Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour out of Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) for the last time on August 16th, ending over twenty years of processing work on the spaceship. Shuttle Meeting:…
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One year on – Review notes superb performance of STS-135’s SRBs
One year to the day since Atlantis launched on her final mission, the exceptional performance by the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) – which aided STS-135’s ride uphill during first stage flight – was noted in the seemingly independent flight performance review of STS-135 conducted by contractor agency United Space Alliance (USA), not NASA. The stunning lack…
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Atlantis readied for her trip to the VAB – OPF-1 for transition
Atlantis is closing in on the end of her Transition and Retirement (T&R) processing, following the installation of her three Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs). Atlantis is scheduled to roll to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Friday, in preparation for going on display just down the road at the Visitor Center, allowing for her…
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Atlantis greets sister as Discovery concludes her T&R processing
Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery’s almost 30 years of processing at Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) came to an end on Friday with the retired spaceship’s transfer out of OPF Bay 1. The orbiter traded places with sistership Atlantis, which returned to the OPF from High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).…