Space Shuttle Atlantis

Atlantis
OV-104
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Atlantis at the launch of STS-122 to rendezvous with the Space Station.
OV designation OV-104
Country United States
Contract award January 29, 1979
Named after RV Atlantis
Status Active
First flight STS-51-J
October 3–7, 1985
Last flight STS-132
May 14–26, 2010
Number of missions 32
Crews 191
Time spent in space 293 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes, 37 seconds as of STS-132
Number of orbits 4,648
Distance travelled 120,650,907 miles (194,168,813 km) as of STS-132[1]
Satellites deployed 14
Mir dockings 7
ISS dockings 11

The Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of the three operational Space Shuttle orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States[2] (the other two surviving Space Shuttles are the Discovery and the Endeavour). The Atlantis was the fourth operational (and the next-to-the-last) Space Shuttle to be constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California, and she was delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida in April 1985.[3][4] Atlantis is the only orbiter which lacks the ability to draw power from the International Space Station while docked there, it must continue to provide its own power through fuel cells.[5]

In early 2008, the NASA Administrator, with the approval of the President and the United States Congress, decided to continue with the Atlantis making space flights until sometime in 2010, the tentatively predetermined end of the Space Shuttle's spaceflight program.[6] This reversed a previous decision to retire Atlantis in 2008.[7][8]

The final reading on Atlantis' "odometer" after its 32nd flight (STS-132) is approximately the same distance as 505 flights from the Earth to the Moon and back.[9]

Contents

History

Atlantis heads toward Earth orbit at the beginning of STS-129.

Atlantis is named after RV Atlantis, a two-masted sailing ship that operated as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1930 to 1966.[10] The 460-ton ketch carried a crew of 17 and had room for 5 scientists[11]. The former RV Atlantis is now commissioned as an oceanographic research vessel in the Argentine Naval Prefecture under the name Dr. Bernardo Houssay and finishing a lengthy period of restoration.[12][13]

Construction milestones

January 29, 1979 Contract Award - Rockwell International
March 30, 1980 Start structural assembly of crew module
November 23, 1981 Start structural assembly of aft-fuselage
June 13, 1983 Wings arrive at Palmdale from Grumman
December 2, 1983 Start of final assembly
April 10, 1984 Completed final assembly
March 6, 1985 Rollout from Palmdale
April 3, 1985 Overland transport from Palmdale to Edwards
April 9, 1985 Delivery to Kennedy Space Center
September 5, 1985 Flight Readiness Firing

Notable missions

Atlantis docked to the Space Station during STS-132 mission.

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on its maiden voyage on October 3, 1985, on mission STS-51-J, the second dedicated Department of Defense flight.[14] 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 used for ten flights between 1988 and 1992. Two of these, both flown in 1989, deployed the planetary probes Magellan to Venus (on STS-30) and Galileo to Jupiter (on STS-34). With STS-30 Atlantis became the first shuttle to launch an interplanetary probe.[15] During another mission, STS-37 flown in 1991, Atlantis deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. 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. STS-71 marked a number of historic firsts in human spaceflight: 100th U.S. manned space flight; first U.S. shuttle-Russian Space Station Mir docking and joint on-orbit operations; and first on-orbit changeout of shuttle crew.[16] When linked, Atlantis and Mir together formed the largest spacecraft in orbit at the time.

Shuttle Atlantis has also delivered several vital components for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). During the February 2001 mission STS-98 to the ISS, Atlantis delivered the Destiny Module, the primary operating facility for U.S. research payloads aboard the ISS.[17] The five hour 25 minute third spacewalk performed by astronauts Robert Curbeam and Thomas Jones during STS-98 marked NASA's 100th extra vehicular activity in space.[18] The Quest Joint Airlock, was flown and installed to the ISS by Atlantis during the mission STS-104 in July 2001.[19] The successful installation of the airlock gave on-board space station crews the ability to stage repair and maintenance spacewalks outside the ISS using U.S. EMU or Russian Orlan space suits. The first mission flown by Atlantis after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was STS-115, conducted during September 2006.[20] The mission carried the P3/P4 truss segments and solar arrays to the ISS. On ISS assembly flight STS-122 in February 2008, Atlantis delivered the Columbus laboratory to the ISS.[21] Columbus laboratory is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA).[22]

In May 2009 Atlantis flew a seven member crew to the Hubble Space Telescope for its Servicing Mission 4, STS-125.[23] The mission was a success, with the crew completing five space walks totaling 37 hours to install new cameras, batteries, a gyroscope and other components to the telescope.

Among the five space shuttles flown into space, Atlantis has conducted a subsequent mission in the shortest time after the previous mission when it launched in November, 1985 on STS-61-B, only 50 days after its previous mission, STS-51-J.

The longest mission flown using shuttle Atlantis was STS-117 and lasted almost 14 days in June 2007.[24] During STS-117, Atlantis' crew added a new starboard truss segment and solar array pair (the S3/S4 truss), folded the P6 array in preparation for its relocation and performed four spacewalks. 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.[25]

During the STS-129 post-flight interview on 16 November 2009 shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said that Atlantis officially beat shuttle Discovery on the record low amount of Interim Problem Reports, with a total of just 54 listed since returning from the STS-125. He continued to add "It is due to the team and the hardware processing. They just did a great job. The record will probably never be broken again in the history of the Space Shuttle Program, so congratulations to them". However, during the STS-132 post-launch interview on 14 May 2010, shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said that Atlantis beat its previous record low amount of Interim Problem Reports, with a total of 46 listed between STS-129 and STS-132.

Orbiter Maintenance Down Periods

To date Atlantis has gone through two overhauls of scheduled Orbiter Maintenance Down Periods (OMDPs) during her operational history.

Atlantis arrived at Palmdale, California in October 1992 for OMDP-1. During that visit 165 modifications were made over the next 20 months. These included the installation of a drag chute, new plumbing lines to configure the orbiter for extended duration, more than 800 new heat tiles and blankets and new insulation for main landing gear and structural modifications to the airframe[26].

On November 5, 1997, Atlantis again arrived at Palmdale for OMDP-2 which was completed on September 24, 1998. The 130 modifications carried out during OMDP-2 included glass cockpit displays, replacement of TACAN navigation with GPS and ISS airlock and docking installation. Several weight reduction modifications were also performed on the orbiter including replacement of Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) insulation blankets[27] on upper surfaces with FRSI. Moreover lightweight crew seats were installed and the Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) package installed on OMDP-1 was removed to lighten Atlantis to better serve its prime mission of servicing the ISS.

During the stand down period post Columbia accident, Atlantis went through over 75 modifications to the orbiter ranging from very minor bolt change-outs to window change-outs and different fluid systems.[28]

Planned decommissioning

NASA had planned to withdraw Atlantis from service in 2008, as the orbiter would have been due to undergo its third scheduled OMDP. However, because of the final retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2010, this was deemed uneconomic. It was planned that Atlantis would be kept in near flight condition to be used as a parts hulk for Discovery and Endeavour. 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. Atlantis has been swapped for one flight of each Discovery and Endeavour in the current flight manifest. Atlantis has completed its last flight, STS-132, prior to the end of the shuttle program[29].

Crews

Crewmembers for the historic final Hubble Servicing Mission, STS-125 pose for a photo on the flight deck of Atlantis.

A total of 155 unique individuals have flown with Space Shuttle Atlantis over the course of her 32 missions.[9] Because the shuttle sometimes flew crew members arriving and departing Mir and the ISS, not all of them launched and landed on Atlantis.

Astronaut Clayton Anderson, ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts and Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Budarin and Anatoly Solovyev only launched on Atlantis. Similarly, astronauts Nicole Stott, Daniel Tani and Sunita Williams, as well as cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Gennady Strekalov only landed with Atlantis. Only 146 men and women both launched and landed aboard Atlantis.

Some of those people however, flew with Atlantis more than once. Taking them into account, 203 total seats were filled over Atlantis' 32 missions. Astronaut Jerry Ross holds the record for the most flights aboard Atlantis at five.[9]

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. ESA astronaut Dirk Frimout who flew on STS-45 as a payload specialist was the first Belgian in space. STS-46 mission specialist Claude Nicollier was the first astronaut from Switzerland. On the same flight, astronaut Franco Malerba became the first citizen of Italy to travel to space.

Flights listing

# Launch date Designation Launch Pad Landing Location Duration Notes
1 1985 October 3 STS-51-J 39A Edwards AFB 4 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes, 38 seconds First Atlantis mission; mission dedicated to Department of Defense. Believed to have deployed two DSCS-III (Defense Satellite Communications System) satellites into stationary orbit.
2 1985 November 26 STS-61-B 39A Edwards AFB 6 days, 21 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds 3 communications satellites deployed: MORELOS-B, AUSSAT-2 and SATCOM KU-2
3 1988 December 2 STS-27 39B Edwards AFB 4 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds Mission dedicated to Department of Defense. Deployed the Lacrosse 1 satellite, for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Atlantis' Thermal Protection System tiles sustained unusually severe damage during the flight; over 700 damaged tiles were noted, and one tile was missing.[30]
4 1989 May 4 STS-30 39B Edwards AFB 4 days, 0 hours, 56 minutes, 28 seconds Deployed the Magellan probe bound for Venus.
5 1989 October 18 STS-34 39B Edwards AFB 4 days, 23 hours, 39 minutes, 20 seconds Deployed the Galileo probe bound for Jupiter.
6 1990 February 28 STS-36 39A Edwards AFB 4 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes, 22 seconds Mission dedicated to Department of Defense. STS-36 deployed a single satellite believed to have been a Misty reconnaissance satellite.
7 1990 November 15 STS-38 39A KSC 4 days, 21 hours, 54 minutes, 31 seconds Mission dedicated to Department of Defense. Deployed USA-67 believed to have been a secret Magnum ELINT (ELectronic INTtelligence) gathering satellite.
8 1991 April 5 STS-37 39B Edwards AFB 5 days, 23 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds Deployed Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the second of the Great Observatories program.
9 1991 August 2 STS-43 39A KSC 8 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds Deployed Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-5 (TDRS-5 or TDRS-E).
10 1991 November 24 STS-44 39A Edwards AFB 6 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, 44 seconds Mission dedicated to Department of Defense. The unclassified payload included a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite deployed on flight day one.
11 1992 March 24 STS-45 39A KSC 8 days, 22 hours, 9 minutes 28 seconds Carried first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1). ATLAS-1 equipped with 12 instruments conducted studies in atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation, space plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy.
12 1992 July 31 STS-46 39A KSC 7 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes, 3 seconds Deployed ESA's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency Tethered Satellite System (TSS). TSS only reached a maximum distance of 860 feet from the orbiter instead of the planned 12.5 miles because of a jammed tether line.
13 1994 November 3 STS-66 39B Edwards AFB 10 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, 2 seconds Carried Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Sciences - 3 (ATLAS-03) to study the energy of the sun and how it affects the Earth's climate and environment. In addition, STS-66 included deployment and retrieval of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometer Telescope for Atmosphere (CRISTA) to explore the variability of the atmosphere and provide measurements.
14 1995 June 29 STS-71 39A KSC 9 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, 17 seconds First historic shuttle docking with space station Mir. 100th U.S manned space flight. Atlantis transported two cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin to Mir and returned astronaut Norman Thagard and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Gennady Strekalov. The joint U.S-Russian crew performed life sciences investigations aboard SPACELAB/Mir.
15 1995 November 12 STS-74 39A KSC 8 days, 4 hours, 31 minutes, 42 seconds Carried docking module to Mir and docked to the Kristall module. During the three days of combined shuttle-Mir operations, Atlantis's crew transferred water, supplies, equipment and two new solar arrays to upgrade Mir.
16 1996 March 22 STS-76 39B Edwards AFB 9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Shannon Lucid. STS-76 marked first flight of SPACEHAB pressurized module to support Shuttle-Mir dockings. Spacewalkers Linda Godwin and Michael Clifford conducted the first U.S. extravehicular activity (EVA) around the two mated spacecrafts.
17 1996 September 16 STS-79 39A KSC 10 days, 3 hours, 19 minutes, 28 seconds Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Shannon Lucid and John Blaha. First shuttle mission to the fully completed Mir in its final configuration. STS-79 also marked second flight of SPACEHAB module in support of Shuttle-Mir activities and first flight of SPACEHAB Double Module configuration.
18 1997 January 12 STS-81 39B KSC 10 days, 4 hours, 56 minutes, 30 seconds Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of John Blaha and Jerry Linenger. Carried the SPACEHAB double module and during five days of docked operations with Mir, the crews transferred water and supplies.
19 1997 May 15 STS-84 39A KSC 9 days, 5 hours, 20 minutes, 47 seconds Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Jerry Linenger and Michael Foale. Carried the SPACEHAB double module.
20 1997 September 25 STS-86 39A KSC 10 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, 12 seconds Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Michael Foale and David A. Wolf. Highlights of STS-86 included five days of docked operations and the first joint U.S.-Russian spacewalk during a shuttle mission conducted by cosmonaut Vladimir Titov and astronaut Scott Parazynski.
21 2000 May 19 STS-101 39A KSC 9 days, 21 hours, 10 minutes, 10 seconds International Space Station resupply mission with supplies carried up using a SPACEHAB double module and SPACEHAB Integrated Cargo Carrier pallet. Astronauts James Voss and Jeffrey Williams performed a spacewalk and Atlantis also reboosted the ISS.
22 2000 September 8 STS-106 39B KSC 11 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes, 15 seconds International Space Station resupply mission. STS-106 utilized the SPACEHAB Double Module and the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) to bring supplies to the ISS. The mission also included two spacewalks.
23 2001 February 7 STS-98 39A Edwards AFB 12 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes International Space Station assembly mission (carried and assembled the Destiny Laboratory Module). Three spacewalks including the 100th in the U.S. manned spaceflight program were conducted to complete its assembly.
24 2001 July 12 STS-104 39B KSC 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 39 seconds International Space Station assembly mission (carried and assembled the Quest Joint Airlock). Astronauts Michael Gernhardt and James Reilly conducted three space walks while Atlantis was docked to the ISS. STS-104 was the first shuttle mission to fly with a "Block II" SSME.[31]
25 2002 April 8 STS-110 39B KSC 10 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes, 48 seconds International Space Station assembly mission (carried and assembled the S0 truss segment) which forms the backbone of the truss structure on the ISS. STS-110 also delivered the Mobile Transporter (MT). Four spacewalks were also conducted in support of ISS construction.
26 2002 October 7 STS-112 39B KSC 10 days, 19 hours, 58 minutes, 44 seconds International Space Station assembly mission (carried and assembled the S1 truss segment). Atlantis also delivered the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA). Astronauts David Wolf and Piers Sellers conducted three spacewalks. A camera mounted to the shuttle's external tank captured the ascent to orbit. This was the first time such footage was recorded.[32][33]
27 2006 September 9 STS-115 39B KSC 11 days, 19 hours, 6 minutes, 35 seconds International Space Station resupply and construction (P3 and P4 truss segments, solar arrays 2A and 4A and batteries). STS-115 was the first assembly mission to the ISS after the Columbia disaster. A total of three spacewalks were performed, during which the crew connected the systems on the installed trusses, prepared them for deployment and did other maintenance work on the ISS.
28 2007 June 8 STS-117 39A Edwards AFB 13 days, 20 hours, 12 minutes, 44 seconds International Space Station resupply and construction (S3 and S4 truss and a set of solar arrays segments)[34] The launch of STS-117 marked the 250th orbital human spaceflight.[35] STS-117 brought Expedition 15 crewmember Clayton Anderson to the ISS, and returned with Sunita Williams.
29 2008 February 7 STS-122 39A KSC 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes, 50 seconds International Space Station construction (Columbus laboratory). STS-122 carried ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts, a French Flight Engineer representing ESA to the ISS and returned Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel M. Tani to Earth. Three spacewalks were performed by mission specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love.
30 2009 May 11 STS-125 39A Edwards AFB 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds Historic Hubble Space Telescope final Servicing Mission 4. Atlantis carried two new instruments to the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3. The mission also replaced a Fine Guidance Sensor, six gyroscopes, and two battery unit modules. The flight included five spacewalks totaling 37 hours. STS-125 carried an IMAX camera to document the progress of the mission.
31 2009 November 16 STS-129 39A KSC 10 days, 19 hours, 16 minutes, 13 seconds International Space Station resupply and construction (ELC-1/ELC-2). STS-129 was the first flight of an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier and focused on staging spare components outside the space station.[36] The fight included three spacewalks.
32 2010 May 14 STS-132 39A KSC 11 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes, 09 seconds International Space Station construction (Mini-Research Module 1 and the cargo pallet, Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD)).[37] The flight included three spacewalks.

* No Earlier Than (Tentative)
** To Be Determined

Remaining assigned missions

Problems

Composite overwrapped pressure vessels

NASA announced in 2007 that 24 helium and nitrogen gas tanks in Atlantis are older than their designed lifetime. 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. NASA said it cannot guarantee any longer that the vessels on Atlantis will not burst or explode under full pressure. Failure of these tanks could damage parts of the shuttle and even wound or kill ground personnel. An in-flight failure of a pressure vessel could even result in the loss of the orbiter and its crew. 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 are scheduled to be retired, NASA decided to continue operations with the existing tanks. Therefore, to reduce the risk of failure and the cumulative effects of load, the vessels will be maintained at 80 percent of the operating pressure as late in the launch countdown as possible, and the launch pad will be cleared of all but essential personnel when pressure is increased to 100 percent. The new launch procedure will be employed during the remaining Atlantis launches if no other resolution is found. Atlantis will have to fly at least once under this requirement.[38]

However, since the problem was discovered, two of the COPV's have been replaced. The two COPV's were deemed to have the highest risk of failure.[39]

Knob

After the STS-125 mission, a work light knob was discovered jammed in the space between one of Atlantis's front interior windows and the Orbiter dashboard structure. The knob was believed to have entered the space during flight, when the pressurized Orbiter was expanded to its maximum size. Then, once back on Earth, the Orbiter contracted, jamming the knob in place. Leaving "as-is" was considered unsafe for flight, and some options for removal (including window replacement) would have included a 6 month delay of Atlantis's next mission (planned to be STS-129). Had the removal of the knob been unsuccessful, the worst-case scenario is that Atlantis could have been retired from flight, leaving Discovery and Endeavour to complete the manifest alone. On 29 June 2009, Atlantis was pressurised to 17 psi/120 kPa (3psi-delta), which forced the Orbiter to expand slightly. The knob was then frozen with dry ice, and was successfully removed.[40] Small areas of damage to the window were discovered where the edges of the knob had been embedded into the pane.[41] Subsequent investigation of the window damage discovered a maximum defect depth of approximately 0.0003 in/0.0076 mm, less than the reportable depth threshold of 0.0015 in/0.038 mm and not serious enough to warrant the pane’s replacement.[42]

Gallery

STS-125 Atlantis Liftoff.jpg
Atlantis underside STS117 1.jpg
Atlantis overheadview STS115.jpg
STS-112 Atlantis carrying S1 truss.jpg
Atlantis and its STS-125 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope. Underside view of Atlantis during STS-117 as it approached the International Space Station and performed a back-flip. An overhead image of Atlantis during STS-115, as recorded by an Expedition 13 crew member on board the International Space Station Atlantis carrying the S1 Truss segment on mission STS-112.
STS115 Atlantis undock ISS.jpg
Shuttle-atlantis.jpg
Atlantis on Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.jpg
STS-79 rollout.jpg
Space Shuttle Atlantis after it undocked from the Space Station on September 17, 2006. The Space Shuttle Atlantis landing in 1997, at the end of STS-86. Atlantis on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in 1998. An overhead view of Atlantis as it sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform before STS-79.

Mission insignias

Mission insignia for Atlantis flights
Sts-51-j-patch.png
Sts-61-b-patch.png
Sts-27-patch.svg
Sts-30-patch.png
Sts-34-patch.png
Sts-36-patch.png
Sts-38-patch.png
STS 51-J
STS 61-B
STS 27
STS 30
STS 34
STS 36
STS 38
Sts-37-patch.png
Sts-43-patch.png
Sts-44-patch.png
Sts-45-patch.png
Sts-46-patch.png
Sts-66-patch.png
Sts-71-patch.png
STS 37
STS 43
STS 44
STS 45
STS 46
STS 66
STS 71
Sts-74-patch.png
Sts-76-patch.png
Sts-79-patch.png
Sts-81-patch.png
Sts-84-patch.png
Sts-86-patch.png
Sts-98-patch.png
STS 74
STS 76
STS 79
STS 81
STS 84
STS 86
STS 98
Sts-101-patch.png
Sts-104-patch.png
Sts-106-patch.png
Sts-110-patch.png
Sts-112-patch.png
STS-115 patch.svg
STS-117 patch new.png
STS 101
STS 104
STS 106
STS 110
STS 112
STS 115
STS 117
STS-122 patch.svg
STS-125 patch.svg
Logo STS-129.jpg
STS-132 patch.png
STS 122
STS 125
STS 129
STS 132

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tariq Malik (2010-05-26). "Space Shuttle Atlantis By the Numbers: A 25-Year Legacy". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/space-shuttle-atlantis-legacy-numbers-100526.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  2. ↑ NASA (2007). "Space Shuttle Overview: Atlantis (OV-104)". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/atlantis-info.html. Retrieved November 6, 2007. 
  3. ↑ Justin Ray (May 11, 2010). "Respecting Atlantis as the shuttle faces retirement". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/100511atlantis/. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
  4. ↑ Peter W. Merlin (May 20, 2010). "Space Shuttle Atlantis Wraps Up 25-year Career". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/atlantis_25_year_career.html. Retrieved Ju;y 25, 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Things You Didn't Know about Atlantis". space.com. http://www.space.com/news/7cool-things-space-shuttle-atlantis-100512.html. 
  6. ↑ Bergin, Chris (January 16, 2008). "Atlantis flying to 2010, Hubble slightly delayed - manifest re-aligned". NASA Spaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/01/atlantis-flying-to-2010-hubble-slightly-delayed-manifest-re-aligned/. Retrieved 2008-01-26. 
  7. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2007). "Atlantis stay of execution reversed in new manifest". NASA Spaceflight. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/07/atlantis-stay-of-execution-reversed-in-new-manifest/. Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  8. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2007). "Manifest acceleration: Saving Atlantis to aid Ares timeline". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/09/manifest-acceleration-saving-atlantis-to-aid-ares-timeline/. Retrieved November 6, 2007. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "The legacy of space shuttle Atlantis". CollectSPACE. June 2, 2010. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060210a.html. Retrieved June 4, 2010. 
  10. ↑ "Space Shuttle Atlantis Orbitor Fleet". http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/orbitersatl.html. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  11. ↑ Jenkins, Dennis R. (2007). Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System. Voyageur Press. ISBN 0963397451. 
  12. ↑ "Un barco con historia, remodelado para investigar el mar". Clarin.com. 2009-10-21. http://www.clarin.com/diario/2009/10/21/um/m-02022972.htm. 
  13. ↑ "Prefectura launched 'Dr. Bernardo Houssay' oceanographic vessel". Prefectura Naval Argentina (Argentine Coast Guard). http://www.prefecturanaval.gov.ar/noticias/gacetillas_ing.php?numero=11209. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 
  14. ↑ "Space shuttle Atlantis moves to launch pad for final planned flight". Collect SPACE. April 22, 2010. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-042210a.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  15. ↑ Karen Rowan (May 12, 2010). "7 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Space Shuttle Atlantis". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/news/7cool-things-space-shuttle-atlantis-100512.html. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
  16. ↑ NASA. "STS-71". http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-71.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  17. ↑ Todd Halvorson. "Destiny Fulfilled: Atlantis Ends Mission With Safe Touchdown". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/sts98_land_010220.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  18. ↑ Todd Halvorson (February 14, 2010). "Astronauts Cap 100th Spacewalk With Successful Disaster Drill". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/sts98_eva3pm_010214.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  19. ↑ William Harwood (July 15, 2001). "Airlock marks milestone in quest to assemble Alpha". Spaceflight Now. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage7a/010715fd4/. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  20. ↑ NASA (September 28, 2006). "STS-115: A Mission to Build On". http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/115_mission_overview.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  21. ↑ Dave Mosher (February 7, 2008). "Europeans Celebrate Successful Launch of Science Lab". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080207-sts122-columbus-launch.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  22. ↑ European Space Agency. "Columbus laboratory". http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAAYI0VMOC_iss_0.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  23. ↑ NASA (May 29, 2009). "Mission Accomplished: Leaving Hubble Better Than Ever". http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts125/launch/125_overview.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  24. ↑ NASA (June 22, 2007). "STS-117 MCC Status Report #30". http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/news/STS-117-30.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  25. ↑ "Preflight Interview: Stan Love, Mission Specialist". NASA. 2007-11-19. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts122/interview_love.html. 
  26. ↑ "Atlantis (OV-104)". NASA. 2009-10-10. http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html. 
  27. ↑ "Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation Blankets". NASA.gov. 2009-10-10. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/tps/blankets.html. 
  28. ↑ NASA (August 22, 2006). "Mike Leinbach, STS-115 Launch Director". http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/115_askmission_leinbach_transcript.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  29. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2007-06-23). "Atlantis avoids early retirement - will keep flying to 2010". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/06/atlantis-avoids-early-retirement-will-keep-flying-to-2010/. 
  30. ↑ William Harwood (March 27, 2009). "Legendary commander tells story of shuttle's close call". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts119/090327sts27/. Retrieved July 25, 2010. .
  31. ↑ G. D. Hopson (June 28, 2001). "Atlantis STS 104 Space Shuttle Program SSME Flight Readiness Review". http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/news/columbia/frr/sts-104/08_ssme.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  32. ↑ Stephen Clark (September 12, 2002). "Sneak peek at 'shuttlecam'". Spaceflight Now. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/sts112/020912shuttlecam/. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  33. ↑ NASA. "STS 112 Daily Videos: Flight Day 1". http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts-112/html/fd1.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  34. ↑ Harwood, William (2007). "STS-117 Mission Coverage". CBS News. Spaceflightnow.com. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts117/. Retrieved December 7, 2007. 
  35. ↑ "STS-117 marks 250th orbital crewed flight". collectSPACE. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060807a.html. 
  36. ↑ Elaine M. Marconi (4 December 2009). "Mission STS-129: Delivering the Goods". NASA.gov. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/launch/129_overview.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  37. ↑ William Harwood (May 12, 2010). "Mission preview: Atlantis to launch Russian mini module". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/100512preview/. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  38. ↑ Halvorson, Todd; Kelly, John (2007). "Orbiters Feel Pains of Aging". Florida Today. Space.com. http://www.space.com/news/ft_070604_aging_orbiters.html. Retrieved November 6, 2007. 
  39. ↑ Chris Gebhardt. "NASA Reviews COPV Reliability Concerns for Final Program Flights". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/07/nasa-reviews-copv-for-final-program-flights/. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  40. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2009). "Knob removed, Atlantis window inspection begins - longerons in cart accident". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/06/atlantis-window-pane-begins-longerons-damaged-accident/. Retrieved June 30, 2009. 
  41. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2009). "Window damage on Atlantis threatens six month delay to STS-129". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/06/window-damage-on-atlantis-threatens-six-month-delay-to-sts-129/. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 
  42. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2009). "Endeavour heads into countdown – Atlantis window damage cleared". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/07/endeavour-into-countdown-atlantis-window-damage-cleared/. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 

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