Manufactured by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985, Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built.
Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011.
Among the five Space Shuttles flown into space, Atlantis conducted a subsequent mission in the shortest time after the previous mission (turnaround time) when it launched in November 1985 on STS-61-B, only 50 days after its previous mission, STS-51-J in October 1985.
Astronaut Jerry Ross holds the record for the most flights aboard Atlantis at five. Astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela who flew aboard Atlantis on STS-61-B mission in 1985 became the first and so far only Mexican to have traveled to space.
It flew one other mission, STS-61-B, the second night launch in the shuttle program, before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster temporarily grounded the Shuttle fleet in 1986.
Atlantis was then used for ten flights between 1988 and 1992.
Had Atlantis been destroyed during the mission in 1988, more than likely the second destruction of an Orbiter would have set NASA back at least two years, forced a redesign of the fuel tanks foam coverings and the fragile heat shield plating, or it would have forced NASA to close down the Shuttle Program 22 years before it actually ended. During STS-37 in 1991, Atlantis deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.
Two of these, both flown in 1989, deployed the planetary probes Magellan to Venus (on STS-30) and Galileo to Jupiter (on STS-34).
The Shuttle was relaunched in 1989. Atlantis arrived at Palmdale, California in October 1992 for OMDP-1.
Had Atlantis been destroyed during the mission in 1988, more than likely the second destruction of an Orbiter would have set NASA back at least two years, forced a redesign of the fuel tanks foam coverings and the fragile heat shield plating, or it would have forced NASA to close down the Shuttle Program 22 years before it actually ended. During STS-37 in 1991, Atlantis deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.
Atlantis was then used for ten flights between 1988 and 1992.
The Shuttle was relaunched in 1989. Atlantis arrived at Palmdale, California in October 1992 for OMDP-1.
Beginning in 1995 with STS-71, Atlantis made seven straight flights to the former Russian space station Mir as part of the Shuttle-Mir Program.
These included the installation of a drag chute, new plumbing lines to configure the orbiter for extended duration, improved nose wheel steering, more than 800 new heat tiles and blankets, new insulation for main landing gear, and structural modifications to the airframe. On 5 November 1997, Atlantis again arrived at Palmdale for OMDP-2 which was completed on 24 September 1998.
These included the installation of a drag chute, new plumbing lines to configure the orbiter for extended duration, improved nose wheel steering, more than 800 new heat tiles and blankets, new insulation for main landing gear, and structural modifications to the airframe. On 5 November 1997, Atlantis again arrived at Palmdale for OMDP-2 which was completed on 24 September 1998.
During the February 2001 mission STS-98 to the ISS, Atlantis delivered the Destiny Module, the primary operating facility for U.S.
The Quest Joint Airlock, was flown and installed to the ISS by Atlantis during the mission STS-104 in July 2001.
Ultimately, the same fate would eventually be the result that destroyed the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, due to tile failures, which resulted in the Columbia being ripped apart on reentry.
These composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) were designed for a 10-year life and later cleared for an additional 10 years; they exceeded this life in 2005.
The first mission flown by Atlantis after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was STS-115, conducted during September 2006.
This was the final mission not to rendezvous with the ISS. The longest mission flown using Atlantis was STS-117 which lasted almost 14 days in June 2007.
On ISS assembly flight STS-122 in February 2008, Atlantis delivered the Columbus laboratory to the ISS.
Columbus laboratory is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA). In May 2009 Atlantis flew a seven-member crew to the Hubble Space Telescope for its Servicing Mission 4, STS-125.
Atlantis was not equipped to take advantage of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System so missions could not be extended by making use of power provided by ISS. During the STS-129 post-flight interview on 16 November 2009, shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said that Atlantis officially beat Space Shuttle Discovery for the record low amount of Interim Problem Reports, with a total of just 54 listed since returning from STS-125.
On 29 June 2009, Atlantis was pressurized to (3 psi above ambient), which forced the Orbiter to expand slightly.
STS-134 by Endeavour was expected to be the final flight before STS-135 was authorized in October 2010.
However, with the significant planned flight schedule up to 2010, the decision was taken to extend the time between OMDPs, allowing Atlantis to be retained for operations.
NASA analyses originally assumed that the vessels would leak before they burst, but new tests showed that they could in fact burst before leaking. Because the original vendor was no longer in business, and a new manufacturer could not be qualified before 2010, when the shuttles were scheduled to be retired, NASA decided to continue operations with the existing tanks.
Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011.
Atlantis had completed what was meant to be its last flight, STS-132, prior to the end of the shuttle program, but the extension of the Shuttle program into 2011 led to Atlantis being selected for STS-135, the final Space Shuttle mission in July 2011. Atlantis is currently displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the decision at an employee event held on 12 April 2011 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle flight: "First, here at the Kennedy Space Center where every shuttle mission and so many other historic human space flights have originated, we'll showcase my old friend, Atlantis." The Visitor Complex displays Atlantis with payload bay doors opened mounted at an angle to give the appearance of being in orbit around the Earth.
Ground breaking of the facility occurred in 2012. The exhibit opened on 29 June 2013. ==Crews== A total of 156 individuals flew with Space Shuttle Atlantis over the course of its 33 missions.
Ground breaking of the facility occurred in 2012. The exhibit opened on 29 June 2013. ==Crews== A total of 156 individuals flew with Space Shuttle Atlantis over the course of its 33 missions.
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