Shuttle Preparing For Final Destinations:

While America’s perhaps best-known rodent meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil was forecasting an extended winter, Atlantis was moved into VAB High Bay 4 in Springtime warmth in a movie-like repeat of the previous day’s work. 

This orbiter shuffle was the second in a possible series of “double-moves” to get each of the famous spaceships ready for transport to their display sites in the coming months.

Orbiters Discovery and Endeavour traded places back in August, Atlantis and Endeavour switched positions this week, and the next potential double-move could be sometime next month, which would signify completion of Transition and Retirement (T&R) work on Discovery at Kennedy and her readiness to be ferried to Washington, D.C. in mid-April.

Atlantis will eventually take Discovery’s place in Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) Bay 1, but the exact timing and route of the moves will depend on when Discovery is ready to ferry.  For now, work to begin removing Main Propulsion System (MPS) hardware from Atlantis for preservation for possible Space Launch System use is slated to start in High Bay 4.

Meanwhile, T&R work has resumed on Endeavour in OPF Bay 2 to get her ready for her planned ferry flight to Los Angeles now planned for the Fall. 

Bart Pannullo, NASA Vehicle Manager for Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement processing, spoke with media in attendance on Wednesday for Endeavour’s move back to the OPF; when asked about upcoming processing milestones, he noted that Endeavour’s decommissioned reaction control system (RCS) hardware was on the way back to KSC. 

“They’ve actually completed processing and they’re in transport right now and they’ll be delivered to Kennedy Space Center on Monday,” Panullo said, referring to the ship-set of Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) and Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) pods that were decommissioned out at a facility in White Sands, New Mexico. 

Depending on the progress of processing work in the near-term, Panullo said that Endeavour’s gutted FRCS module could be re-installed next week.  He also noted that contract negotiations are still ongoing for shipment of Atlantis’s RCS hardware to White Sands for decommissioning work. 

Discovery’s RCS hardware has already been re-attached, but when her OMS pods were reinstalled, they were noticeably missing OMS engine nozzles – although the pods were also missing most of their seldom-seen internal hardware. “Because some of the nozzles aren’t safe for ferry flight, they’re going to be installed at the display sites, post-ferry,” Panullo explained. 

With the second orbiter double-move underway and the possibility of another one, NSF also asked Panullo about what might happen with Endeavour between when she is “ready to ferry” and her actual ferry flight.  “Endeavour is going to be processing pretty much up until the point it’s ready to leave,” he said. 

“Now that’s where it’s different with 103 [Discovery]; 103 we’re actually going to finish up processing in the middle of March and move it to the VAB for storage and then it’ll sit there until it goes directly out to the MDD, the Mate-Demate Device, and that will happen in mid-April.”

Although the target date for Discovery’s ferry remains April 17, the exact plans and timing for where Discovery might be stored before her ferry flight seem to remain in flux.

While observing work to secure Atlantis in High Bay 4 on Thursday after her move, the media group there for the photo opportunity heard a few possibilities; the ones we heard seemed to depend on when Discovery’s T&R work is completed and she is ready to ferry.  The earlier work is complete, the more moving around – such as just seen with Atlantis – might need to be done. 

If T&R work finishes much closer to the planned April 17th departure date from KSC, then there might not be much moving around. 

Noting another factor, on Wednesday Pannullo said “there are some other things going on with facilities,” that might play into the temporary storage locations for Discovery before ferry.  No final decisions have been made yet. 

Click here for T&R Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/T&R/

The actual takeoff dates and ferry stops for Discovery and Endeavour will be subject to weather conditions, similar to the past.  When asked whether there might be any changes in the weather rules, Panullo said he was unaware of any.

In addition to work going with the orbiter vehicles at KSC, the media group also observed ferry flight hardware for Enterprise getting ready for shipment.  The Approach and Landing Test Article OMS pods (or ‘ALTA pods’) were originally built for Enterprise and were used in 1977 during Approach and Landing Tests at Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base in California. 

The ALTA pods were subsequently used to ferry all the Shuttle orbiter vehicles at one time or another throughout Shuttle Program operations when the OMS flight hardware was either under construction at the final assembly plant in Palmdale, California, or in maintenance at KSC. 

Both ALTA pods were seen on Thursday attached to their transportation trailers in the VAB, sitting next to their lifting equipment.  One of pods was used in a practice fit check on Endeavour last year while she was in High Bay 4. 

The ALTA pods should soon be shipped to Washington for installation (expected to be permanent) on Enterprise.  Enterprise will be ferried out of Washington to New York City shortly after Discovery arrives in April. 

To read about the orbiters -  from birth, processing, every single mission, through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25837.0

(Images: Via NASA and L2 content – And special photography provided by Philip Sloss, NASASpaceflight.com and Larry Sullivan, MaxQ/NASASpaceflight.com – many thousands of super hi-res image stock available on L2′s new Photo Section)

(L2 and NSF are continuing to follow the orbiters through their transitional period. To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

Related posts:

1. STS-125 launch target moves to February 17 – crucial week for Hubble STS-125 has been given a new “work-to” launch date of...
2. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...

Endeavour back home in OPF-2; final KSC work begins on the baby orbiter:

Since being relegated to VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) HB-4 (High Bay 4) in August 2011 to allow sister Discovery access to OPF-1 to complete her retirement and decommissioning flow, Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour has sat in the VAB to be viewed by spectators and visitors to the Kennedy Space Center – a role she will soon adopt full-time later this year.

After nearly six months in the VAB – a stay in storage longer then numerous of her OPF processing flows for her 25 flights – Endeavour’s engineers flocked to her side this morning for final preparations for her move back to her home in OPF-2.

With Endeavour (OV-105) safely cocooned inside the protective and processing structures of OPF-2, final decommission work will now proceed on the baby of NASA’s Shuttle fleet.

Serving her country and the world space community proud for just one-fourth of her total design life, Endeavour will now spend the next six months (at least) inside OPF-2 – the OPF that became her very own processing facility in 2003, following the tragic loss of her sister Columbia (OV-102) and her valiant international crew of seven men and women – the 9 year anniversary of which we remember today.

After vacating OPF-2 on 28 February 2011 for mating with her ET and SRB stack for her final voyage, Endeavour was taken into OPF-1 on 1 June 2011, following her successful return from the STS-134 mission.

In OPF-1, Endeavour was quickly deserviced from STS-134 flight status before being taken into full-up decommissioning operations – which saw her lose her three SSMEs (Space Shuttle Main Engines), OMS pods, FRCS (Forward Reaction Control System) pod, SRMS (Shuttle Remote Manipulator System) arm, and numerous pieces of internal equipment.

Stripped down and exposed, Endeavour was rolled out of OPF-1 on 11 August 2011 to make room for sister Discovery.

Since then, Endeavour has been stored in the VAB, with no work being performed on her during her stay in the VAB.

Following the removal of Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (OV-104) from OPF-2 on Friday, 20 January 2012 to make room for Endeavour, technicians in Endeavour’s home OPF have been busy performing Open Bay Work – scheduled maintenance and upkeep work on the OPF-2 systems that cannot be undertaken with a Shuttle orbiter present in the bay.

With that standard Open Bay Work complete, Endeavour will now take center stage in the OPF as technicians complete all open work for her eventual centerpiece display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to the installation of three Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs) into her aft, Endeavour will also receive her now-cosmetic-only OMS Pods and FRCS pod before having portions of her MPS (Main Propulsion System) removed for the SLS rocket and related program.

Significant work will also be conducted in the space underneath her Payload Bay as final efforts to completely safe Endeavour for public display are carried out.

Endeavour, however, will not receive her SRMS arm back. That arm, which enabled many of her accomplishments throughout her life, will be given to a Canadian museum – still to be determined – in acknowledgement of and thanks for Canada’s support for the Shuttle Program since its conception in the 1970s.

Like Discovery before her, Endeavour’s payload bay doors will then be closed for the final time and power cut to historic vehicle for the final time.

With power already terminated to former fleet leader Discovery and middle child Atlantis, Endeavour – despite having flown the penultimate flight of the Shuttle Program – will be the final surviving Shuttle orbiter once hooked back up to OPF power this week.

The most recent information indicates the Endeavour will be powered through mid-March, though with all T&R (Transition and Retirement) flow schedules in flux and under a certain degree of pressure to be finished quickly, it’s possible Endeavour could be powered down for the final time earlier than mid-March.

Click here for T&R Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/T&R/

After this milestone is passed, she will then be fitted with a tailcone assembly to prepare her for her ferry flight across the country to the CSC.

While timelines are currently in flux because of the added work of having to remove MPS components from all three orbiters – work that has not yet begun on Endeavour or her sister Atlantis, KSC Orbiter T&R Manager Stephanie Stilson revealed in an interview with NASASpaceflight.com’s Philip Sloss that KSC is currently targeting a mid-September, 2012 ferry flight for Endeavour, as much as this has since slipped to the October timeframe.

The double switch - Atlantis to take Endeavour place in VAB HB4:

With Endeavour safely in her OPF, Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (OV-104) has now taken up residence in VAB HB4, which involved her being wheeled out of the VAB transfer aisle and around the side of the building to the HB4 entrance – a move which was delayed until next week, before being pushed back up to Thursday and completed in the afternoon.

This now become Atlantis’s temporary home for February and most of March while her big sister Discovery completes her final KSC processing milestones in OPF-1.

However, Atlantis’s stay in the VAB will not be as solitary as Endeavour’s proved.

Unlike Endeavour, which saw now work performed on her during her VAB vacation, Atlantis will undergo the beginnings of her MPS tear down and removal while in the VAB.

While timelines are not solidified yet based on ongoing MPS tear down and removal work on Discovery in OPF-1, Atlantis is expected to remain in VAB HB4 until mid- to late-March 2012.

At this time, once all work is terminated on Discovery, the veteran flyer will be removed from OPF-1 and rolled over to the VAB for her last few weeks at her Kennedy home – a place she has called home since 1983.

After OPF-1 is vacated, Atlantis will be wheeled into the processing facility for her final T&R work.

In mid-April, Discovery will be rolled on her wheels from the VAB, past her two sisters, and out to Shuttle Landing Facility where she will be picked up by the Mate-Demate Device and her wheels retracted up into her belly.

Discovery will then be mated to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and flown up the eastern seaboard of the United States to Washington, D.C. and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on April 17, 2012 – 31 years 5 days after Columbia roared off Launch Pad 39A to begin this historic program.

To read about the orbiters -  from birth, processing, every single mission, through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25837.0

(Images: Via NASA and L2 content – And special photography provided by Philip Sloss, NASASpaceflight.com and Larry Sullivan, MaxQ/NASASpaceflight.com – many thousands of super hi-res image stock available on L2′s new Photo Section)

(L2 and NSF are continuing to follow the orbiters through their transitional period. To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Endeavour rollaround moved forward to Thursday – FRR concludes The unique transfer of Endeavour and the STS-126 stack from...
3. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...

Heartbreak And Honor:

It was only last summer when Atlantis was busy in space, doing what she does best, on a mission that was being conducted by an orbiter which hadn’t even reached the half way point of her service life.

Rather than looking forward to her next mission, Atlantis had to endure numerous speeches – and on occasion the crocodile tears of those who pushed for the program’s end – citing the “bright” future for NASA, despite her successful landing being marked more noticeably by the thousands of pink slips that were handed out to the workforce that helped enable her safe return.

Atlantis’ mission even missed out on the regular report card of the In Flight Anomaly (IFA) review (L2 Link to all IFA presentations from recent missions) - a key component for a follow-on, as NASA opted to ensure a line was drawn under the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), visibly seen on at least two occasions by the sight of shuttle documentation literally being thrown into trash bins near the Launch Control Center (LCC).

At the same time, a team was working towards a reprieve for Atlantis and her younger sister Endeavour, as efforts were made to take control of the orbiter’s fate via a privately funded deal – as reported by this site – before that effort failed due to the amount of “re-purposing” work that had already taken place for the Space Launch System (SLS).

One former United Space Alliance (USA) engineer sarcastically noted that if some NASA leaders put the same amount of effort into advancing SLS’ progress, as they did to kill the Space Shuttle Program, “we’ll be on Mars before you know it.”

To most people, the retirement of the Shuttle was sealed via the loss of the flagship Columbia during STS-107. It is also claimed that any real viable reversal of the retirement decision – made during the now-defunct Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) – required full political and agency level support around three years before STS-135, due to the phased shutdown of critical contractor bases.

Thankfully, the main enduring memory will be how the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) covered itself in glory since Return To Flight, not only successfully completing the final role for the fleet – as seen via the completion of the giant space station which continues to fly over our heads – but also via a run of amazingly flawless missions, conducted by what was a hugely complex – and indeed risky – spaceship by design.

Taming the orbiters for their swansong missions – and returning each ship and their crews home safe – not only honored Columbia and her fallen crew, but also provided a wealth of experience and knowledge, all of which is being handed down to the follow on programs, both NASA and commercial, with a priority on crew safety.

Soon the public will be able to honor the three remaining orbiters in person, with Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis all moving through their Transition and Retirement (T&R) operations.

Discovery has made the most progress, as was expected, now sporting the Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs) – given all flight SSMEs have since transitioned to the SLS program – while the tailcone has been installed around her aft, a required piece of hardware to allow for her final journey to Dulles Airport on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

She will be rolled to the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) where she will be mated on top of the SCA in the coming months, with a final flight transiting her to the retirement destination of the world famous Smithsonian. She will also spend a short period greeting Enterprise on the runway, ahead of her trip to New York City.

Atlantis is yet to receive her RSMEs, and with missing Orbital Manuevering Pods (OMS) and Forward and Aft Reaction Control System (RCS) hardware, she did look less glamorous than usual during her roll to the VAB , where – upon arrival – she was greeted by Endeavour taking a peek at her older sister through a gap in the Transfer Aisle.

However, she wouldn’t of been aware of her shoddy appearance, following her final powerdown in late December of last year. The powerdown marked the end of her 26 year service to the United States and the world.

With Endeavour set to fly to the West Coast for her retirement, Atlantis at least gets to stay at her home port, taking center stage at a new facility which began ground breaking this week.

The retirement home will be hosted at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, with construction starting on a new 65,000-square-foot exhibit at the complex’s Space Shuttle Plaza.

“It is an honor to create the home for space shuttle Atlantis and to work with NASA to tell its story to the world,” said Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies, which operates the visitor complex for NASA.

STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson was at the ground breaking, again showing his loyalty to the orbiter he brought home safe last year. The commander believes the public access to his ship will inspire future generations to step in his footsteps as an astronaut.

“It’s very fortunate we can celebrate this milestone, fortunate we had the foresight and the resources to preserve Atlantis to serve as a reminder of the limitless potential of the citizens of the United States of America, and inspire those who will come after us,” said Commander Ferguson.

“This coming Saturday does mark six months since the final landing of Atlantis out here, about three miles behind me,” said Ferguson.

“With that final landing, the shuttle program came to a conclusion after 30 years of discovery and exploration. At times we had to lick our wounds, at times there were joyous moments, but by the grace of God we concluded the program just the way we wanted to, very safely.”

However, the most apt words – at least from Atlantis’ standpoint – came from Janet Petro, deputy director of Kennedy Space Center, mirroring the affection shown towards the orbiters from the teams which often noted how the vehicles were like family members.

“For 30 years, the orbiters have been a part of our family. We’ve cared for them, we’ve protected them, and we’ve watched them soar. We’ve marveled at the similarities between them, and the differences that only ‘family’ could identify.

“Atlantis’ new home is beautifully designed to showcase her as the true engineering marvel that she is.”

To read about Atlantis from birth through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25785.0

Please note: Clickable links with (L2) references point directly to cited L2 content. Such content is only available to L2 members (please ensure you are logged in). All other clickable links point to NSF articles and open content.

(Images: Via NASA and L2 content.)

(L2 and NSF are continuing to follow the orbiters through their transitional period. To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...

OV-103/Discovery – The final voyage of the veteran workhorse:

For the final year of the Space Shuttle Program, operations in 2011 began where all Shuttle missions have: in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

After enduring a rollback from LC-39A in late-December 2010, because of cracks on the stringers of her External Tank’s (ET) intertank structure, Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery, OV-103, spent the first month of 2011 in the VAB undergoing ET intertank repairs and strengthening activities while the various NASA centers conducted numerous simulations to nail down the cause of the ET stringer cracks. (L2 Link).

Discovery, the third operational Shuttle orbiter and fourth overall Shuttle orbiter constructed by NASA, was preparing for her 39th and final mission in November 2010 when the stringer crack issue presented itself during the mission’s first launch attempt on November 5, 2010.

Following the discovery of this issue, NASA mission managers refused to set a launch date for the flight in a concerted effort to allow the engineering analysis teams to have the time they needed to properly and safely address the issue without feeling a push toward launch fever. 

STS-133 Specific - Including ET Stringer Issue - Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-133/

On January 4, NASA identified the potential root cause for the stringer issue – a mottling on the stringers themselves.

As noted by an investigation report, “Some material used for the stringers was found to be ‘mottled,’ with a different surface appearance than the standard material. Testing revealed this mottled material had lower fracture toughness than the nominal material and exhibited unstable crack growth.

“All of the cracks found during tanking as well as cracks fixed during manufacturing were located on stringers made with this mottled material.”

Furthermore, engineers were finally able to recreate the stringer crack failure seen on Discovery’s ET using the stringers from the partially-built ET-139 at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF).

By January 6, the all-powerful Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) had directed teams to proceed forward with the radius block modification on well over 100 of Discovery’s tank stringers – a decision that further emphasized the drive for safety and understanding over launch date pressure.

With that, Discovery’s launch date was penciled in for February 24 or 25 as negotiations began with other ISS partners – specifically ESA (the European Space Agency) which was planning to dock their ATV-2 vehicle to the ISS at the same time that Discovery would now be ready for launch.

After negotiations concluded, it was decided that ATV-2′s docking on the morning of February 24 would permit the launch of Discovery later that day – something that had previously been ruled out due to communication and on-orbit requirements of the two vehicles and the ISS crew.

But as repairs to Discovery’s stringers kicked into high gear and things looked to be settling out for the veteran space vehicle, STS-133/Discovery crewmember Tim Kopra was injured and had to be removed from the mission as a result.

Within three days, Steve Bowen was assigned to the mission as Tim Kopra’s replacement, and NASA, in making the crewmember switch announcement, made it clear that Bowen’s experience on the previous Shuttle mission, STS-132/Atlantis, meant that he would need only moderate refresher training to perform the EVA activities originally assigned to Kopra.

As a result, Discovery would keep her February 24 NET launch date, and Nicole Stott and Al Drew would split the Flight Engineering responsibilities for launch and entry that Kopra was originally assigned.

By the end of January, Discovery’s stringers were modified and reviews had cleared the vehicle to return to the launch pad.

On the night of January 31/February 1 – the 8th anniversary of the loss of sister Columbia – Discovery was returned to the launch pad for what would be the 20th post-Columbia mission.

By all would not be as smooth sailing as hoped. The GUCP once again showed its temperamental side by failing an ambient leak check at the pad. (L2 Link).

The GUCP was disassembled, inspected, its two-part flight seals replaced, and reassembled. Subsequent ambient leak checks revealed a healthy GUCP, and all pad activities continued on schedule.

On February 15, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle successfully delivered the ATV-2 ESA resupply vehicle for the ISS into orbit – paving the way for a 24 February docking of ATV-2 to ISS and subsequent launch of Discovery later that same day.

With all approvals in place, the three-day countdown began on Monday, February 21.

The countdown proceeded flawlessly, and fueling of Discovery’s External Tank yielded absolutely no issues with the modified stringers or the GUCP.

Following the successful docking of ATV-2 to the ISS on the morning of 24 February, final preparations continued, the crew boarded Discovery, and the Countdown reached T-9mins and holding.

And then… it happened: the Eastern Range suffered a computer anomaly that prevented them from seeing the necessary safety information readouts from Discovery.

As the Range team worked the issue, the minutes continued to tick toward the end of the day’s short launch window.

At T-9mins and holding, Launch Director Mike Leinbach and his team decided to pick up the count and then hold at T-5mins if the Range issue had not yet been resolved.

With concurrence from all involved, Discovery’s Commander, Steve Lindsey, told the millions watching to “get ready to witness the majesty and the power of the Shuttle Discovery as she lifts off one more time.”

The launch countdown picked up and was indeed held at T-5mins for just over 3mins as the Range continued to work the issue.

In a heart-pounded final seconds, the launch team moved, with esteem calm and professionalism, to resume the countdown in time once the Range issue was cleared.

In the end, the team successfully resumed the countdown with only 1 second of LOX drain back hold time – the limiting launch window factor that day – remaining before a scrub would have had to have been called for the day.

But that one second was all that was needed.

To thunderous applause, numerous tears, an on-hand spectator number reaching close to a quarter of million people, and under crystal clear skies, the Space Shuttle Discovery began the display she and her sisters were best known for when she gracefully lifted off from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 1653.24 EST and made one final reach for the stars.

A true tribute to America’s space workforce, Discovery executed a flawless ascent and safely, successfully, and with pride delivered her six-member crew and mission payload to LEO.

Discovery docked to the ISS for the final time on 26 February 2011.

With her docking, a historic milestone was reached for the ISS – a complete family moment with the ISS supporting all of its support vehicles: Shuttle, Soyuz, Progress, HTV, and ATV.

During the mission, Discovery delivered thousands of pounds of external spares via the Express Logistics Carrier ELC-4 and thousands of pounds of internal supplies for the Space Station via the newly minted Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo – a former Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM).

The addition of PMM Leonardo marked the final, permanent, pressurized module to be delivered to the ISS by the Space Shuttle fleet and NASA.

After nearly nine days of joint-docked operations, the ISS bid a final farewell to Orbiter Discovery after 13 missions to the orbital outpost.

On March 9, just before 12-noon, Discovery announced her triumphant return to the Kennedy Space Center before flying effortlessly over her Florida home and easing down onto Runway 15 at 11:58:14 EST.

By the time Discovery rolled to a stop on the Florida spaceport runway, she had achieved the distinction of having spent a cumulative total of 365 days (a full year) in space.

She was also the oldest-surviving Shuttle orbiter in the fleet upon completion of her final mission as well as the first Space Shuttle orbiter to successfully complete every single one of her missions – including all three Return to Flight missions following the losses of her big sisters Challenger and Columbia.

Discovery’s service to the human race began on 30 August 1984 with the launch of the STS-41D mission and ended on 9 March 2011 having lasted 26 years 6 months 6 days and 39 missions.

OV-105/Endeavour - An emotional high for the baby of the fleet:

For Endeavour, the 2011 calendar year began with direct knock-on effects from the on-going stringer crack issue of her sister Discovery’s ET.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, the fifth and final space-worthy orbiter and sixth and final overall Space Shuttle orbiter constructed by NASA, began 2011 in her OPF-2 home as NASA hammered out a fix to the stringer issue on the External Tank.

Following the identification of root cause of the issue and implementation of the radius block modification, NASA made the decision to modify ET-122 – the External Tank Endeavour was to use on her final mission – despite the fact that ET-122 was an earlier-constructed tank than Discovery’s and was not constructed from the same material batch as Discovery’s mottled stringers were.

Nonetheless, the decision was made to ensure the highest safety factor for Endeavour and her returned-to-service ET.

In many ways, Endeavour’s final journey to space was a story of perseverance and rising above the odds.

Endeavour herself had always been a symbol of triumph from the throes of tragedy as her existence is owed entirely to the loss of Challenger, the sister she never knew.

Called upon for multiple important missions during her storied career, Endeavour was the Space Shuttle Orbiter that saved the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993 and the Orbiter that began construction of the International Space Station in December 1998 when she launched on the STS-88 mission to join the US’s “Unity” module with Russia’s Zarya module.

For Endeavour’s final mission, her Commander was none other than veteran Shuttle flier Mark E. Kelly – who, like his vehicle, was an amazing source of strength, hope, and inspiration throughout the early months of 2011 and throughout the STS-134 mission.

But the perseverance on STS-134 did not end with Endeavour or her crew.  Despite the fact that the STS-134 mission was the first of the final two missions to be added to the end of the Shuttle manifest (and the first of the final Shuttle missions whose flight was specifically mandated by Congress), her External Tank was a major source of pride for the NASA workforce.

Built in 2002, ET-122 was damaged during the landfall of Hurricane Katrina near the New Orleans MAF construction facility for the tanks. In fact, ET-122 was so damaged by the hurricane that it was completely removed from flight status.

Originally, Endeavour’s mission was supposed to use ET-138 – the final completed External Tank in the numerical sequence.

However, the addition of the STS-335 Launch On Need rescue mission for Endeavour mandated the need for another tank. Rather than complete fabrication and assembly of a new tank, ET-139, the MAF workforce was directed in November 2008 to restore ET-122 to flight status.

In addition to all the hurricane repair work that needed to be made, MAF workers also had to implement most of the RTF (Return To Flight) modifications mandated by NASA in the wake of the Columbia accident.

By early 2011, NASA decided to move ET-122 to STS-134/Endeavour’s mission so that Atlantis, if the STS-335 rescue mission was needed, could fly with a perfectly clean tank instead of the patched-up, but extremely safe, ET-122.

With Endeavour fitted with ET-122 and her SRB set, the entire stack arrived and LC-39A on March 10 with a target April 19 launch to the International Space Station.

With a rather traumatic opening week to her last visit to Pad-A, Endeavour’s flight managers were forced to review TPS damage zones on the baby of the Orbiter fleet after a tool was accidentally dropped from the RSS (Rotating Service Structure) and impacted Endeavour before landing on the zero-level deck of the MLP (Mobile Launch Platform).

The damage was very minor and no repairs were carried out on Endeavour.

At this time, as well, Endeavour was also cleared to proceed toward her April 19 launch date when Russian space officials confirmed that their Soyuz launch would only be slipping to April 4 and not deeper in April like originally thought.

But by the end of March, Russia and NASA were once again into negotiations on Endeavour’s launch date as a conflict between Russia’s Progress M-10M spacecraft and Endeavour’s missions arose.

Endeavour eventually lost the fight and was forced to move to an April 29 launch date – which she continued processing toward despite multiple rounds of adverse weather at the launch pad that triggered evaluations of the stack for storm damage.

Also at this time, NASA managers decided to cancel plans for a Soyuz fly-about of the docked Endeavour/ISS stack because of crew impact concerns should the Soyuz fail to re-dock to the ISS. (L2 Link).

By April 13, NASA formally extended Endeavour’s swan song mission by one day. With a newly extended mission, Endeavour entered what was thought to be her final launch countdown on April 26.

On launch day, as Endeavour’s crew prepared for their journey to the launch pad, an APU-1 heater issue presented itself. Initial attempts to troubleshoot the issue did not prove successful, and Launch Director Mike Leinbach scrubbed the April 29 launch attempt.

In the following week, the APU-1 heater issue was quickly traced to the Aft Load Control Assembly (ALCA-2) box. The ALCA-2 was Removed and Replaced, where a blown driver was subsequently focused on as the cause of the heater issue. (L2 Link).

STS-134 Specific Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-134/

With a new ALCA in place, Endeavour’s launch was retargeted for May 16.

For the final time, the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour began on Friday, May 13.

Thanks to the delay in the launch date, and agreements with Russia to undock the Soyuz TMA-20 for a nominal end of Soyuz mission landing during Endeavour’s docked mission, the formal plan to use the departing Soyuz to capture imagery of the docked Endeavour/ISS stack returned to mission planning.

On May 16, even though the weather looked borderline at best, all launch commit criteria aligned, leading to a final, unanimous “GO” for launch decision.

From the cockpit of Endeavour, Commander Mark Kelly said, “We endeavor to build a better life than the generation before and we endeavor to be a united nation. It is in our DNA to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop.”

And mere minutes later, under overcast, grey, dreary skies, the Space Shuttle Endeavour roared to life for the 27th and final time as she thundered from the launch pad to begin her 25th and final voyage.

To many on the ground, including the launch team, Endeavour seemed to take just a little longer than normal to rise from the launch pad, turn, and begin her historic final mission to space – giving the 500,000 to 750,000 people in personal attendance the feeling of being able to see her for just a bit longer in all her glory.

Her launch was a moment of historical coincidence as well. Endeavour lifted off for the final time exactly 19 years to the day (May 16) after she landed to conclude her maiden voyage, the STS-49 mission in May 1992.

As she had 24 times before, Endeavour dutifully delivered her crew safely to orbit and performed a flawless docking to the ISS two days later.

Her mission marked the delivery of the premiere and exciting Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS – an experiment designed to search for evidence of the existence of dark matter, anti-matter, and dark energy in our universe.

The mission also saw the delivery of ELC-3 – the final large delivery of external spares for the ISS – to the Station.

And, as we all remember and cherish, the mission also provided the stunning photography and video of Endeavour docked to the International Space Station from the vantage point of the departing Soyuz spacecraft. (L2 Link to 271 hi res flyaround photos)

But the greatest milestone of all came toward the end of Endeavour’s docked mission: US Assembly Complete of the International Space Station - achieved when Endeavour’s crew transferred and berthed Endeavour’s OBSS (Orbiter Boom Sensor System) to the orbiting outpost.

Thus, Endeavour was the orbiter that began and completed US assembly of the International Space Station.

(Animated image resized from hires/full screen version and sequence photo dumps on L2′s STS-134 Flight Day image section - several hundred megabytes strong – L2 Link.) 

After 11 days 17 hours 41 minutes of docked operations with the ISS, Endeavour bid a fond farewell to her orbital child.

Two days later, under the cover of darkness, Endeavour gallantly swooped down over her Florida home to end her career on 1 June 2011 at 0235 EDT.

To the very end, Endeavour was and always will be an iconic symbol of hope, a ship that inspires pride, awe, the quest for knowledge, and the determination to pick ourselves up and continue forward when adversity would rather us surrender.

After 19 years 24 days 6 hours and 55 minutes of service (May 7, 1992 at 1940 EDT to June 1, 2011 at 0235 EDT), Endeavour officially ended her tenure with the Space Shuttle Program. But she still remains our hope for a new tomorrow, an era when humans will regularly explore the space beyond the confines of our home world and push our boundaries of scientific knowledge and our quest of exploration.

OV-104/Atlantis - The Grand Finale of an American icon:

STS-135: The flight that wasn’t even manifested at the start of 2011.

Included in the NASA Authorization Act of 2011, which was signed into law on 11 October 2010, funding for the STS-135 mission remained in limbo while Congress remained incapable of reaching an agreement on the exact nature of the Fiscal Year 2011 calendar budget.

To this end, NASA continued procurement of mission hardware and software for the STS-335 contingency LON rescue mission which would have been used in the event that Endeavour became disabled during STS-134.

On 20 January 2011, NASA officially changed the mission designation number for STS-335 to STS-135 on internal documentation only (L2 Link), allowing teams to proceed with mission training and planning operations so that the continuing appropriations battle in Washington D.C. would not impact flight operations.

Finally, on 13 February 2011, NASA announced and confirmed that STS-135 would fly to the International Space Station regardless of whether or not appropriations from Congress materialized.

At this point, STS-135 became an officially manifested flight, making it one of the quickest missions to go from manifestation to liftoff in Shuttle Program history.

Undergoing a near one-year OPF-1 flow for STS-335/135, Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis was mated to her ET/SRB stack.

Arriving at the launch pad at the same time as her sister Endeavour landed a few miles away to complete her last mission on June 1, Atlantis began a one month eight day pad flow.

On 15 June,  a tanking test was performed on the Atlantis/STS-135 stack to confirm a solid fix to Atlantis’s Tank’s stringers – which underwent the same modifications as Discovery’s and Endeavour’s tanks had.

The Tanking Test revealed a healthy tank and modified stringers while also revealing a hydrogen fuel valve issue in Main Engine #3 that, if it had occurred on launch day, would have resulted in a multi-day scrub.

Replacement of the valve was completed on 21 June, just one day after Atlantis’s payload was installed into her payload bay.

Despite a dismal weather forecast with only a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather, NASA launch managers decided to proceed with the launch attempt on 8 July.

Tanking operations began right on time at 0201 EDT and wrapped up three hours later with no issue.

In fact, Atlantis performed flawlessly during her countdown, with the only concern being the weather.

One hour before the scheduled liftoff, weather conditions improved and went GREEN, falling within Launch Commit Criteria rules. However, post-flight launch weather rules governing Return To Launch Site (RTLS) abort weather requirements could not be satisfied by the strict by-the-word standards.

However, the commitment clause for “Good Sense” allowed Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses to issue a formal waiver for the RTLS weather restrictions – giving all stations a GO status for launch – since the weather violation would have cleared by the time of an RTLS landing.

After Launch Director Mike Leinbach wished the crew “Good luck … on the final flight of this true American icon,” the countdown resumed and proceeded nominally from T-9mins to T-34seconds.

At T-34seconds, the Ground Launch Sequencer issued an automated hold at T-31seconds and inhibited Atlantis’s onboard computers from taking control of the countdown.

Prior to this, the final mission of the Space Shuttle to the ISS, the last time a Shuttle launch countdown was held at T-31secs was on the STS-88 mission – the very first Shuttle mission to ISS.

For Atlantis and STS-135, the hold was issued due to the failed indication of a complete retraction and latch of the Gaseous Oxygen vent arm.

The launch control team, one final time, demonstrated their extreme commitment to safety and professionalism as they calmly worked through the issue and used close circuit TV cameras at the launch pad to verify that the GOX vent arm was indeed fully retract and latched against the FSS (Fixed Service Structure) – thus confirming that the failed retraction and latching indication was a sensor error.

The glitch was ironic in many ways, as the GOX vent arm had never given the launch team an issue during the 150+ countdown retractions it was placed through during the life of the Program.

Furthermore, the GOX vent arm was a complete afterthought for the Shuttle Program and was only installed on the FSS after pad validation testing using test Shuttle Enterprise in 1979 revealed the need for the arm and vent system to prevent the build-up of dangerous ice at the top of the External Tank during the countdown.

STS-135 Specific Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-135/

With the issue resolved, the launch team released the hold, and Atlantis’s onboard computers took control of the vehicle and countdown. The time was 11:29:03.9 EDT on 8 July 2011.

In front of a world-wide audience and crowd of one million people at the Kennedy Space Center and surrounding cities and beaches, the Space Shuttle Atlantis came to life, majestically rose from her seaside launch pad, stretched her wings one final time, and went transonic as she punched through the cloud deck and disappeared from view – leaving only the sound of her engines as evidence of her flexing her muscles for the last time.

Atlantis, like her sisters, delivered her crew safely to orbit and docked to the ISS for the final time on 10 July 2011.

The mission saw the Atlantis crew deliver thousands of pounds of internal spares and supplies to the Station – stockpiling the outpost for several years to come.

The mission also delivered the Robotics Refueling Depot to the station, an external experiment deigned to help test robotic refueling technologies for future spacecraft and satellites.

On the final full day of docked operations, Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson – at the farewell ceremony on the ISS – presented the ISS crew with a small American flag that was flown on the STS-1 mission by Shuttle Columbia on April 12-14, 1981.

The flag was fastened to the inner wall of the ISS and flanked by the STS-1 and STS-135 mission patches – a symbolic gesture signaling the end of the Shuttle program.

On July 19, Atlantis undocked from the ISS and performed a modified flyaround maneuver of the Space Station.

As she backed away from ISS for the last time, Atlantis silently slipped into the darkness of orbital night, the lights turning off on the historic program.

On July 21, Atlantis navigated her way through the fierce outer atmosphere of Earth, taking aim on the Kennedy Space Center for a pre-dawn landing on runway 15.

(Animation created from some of the 114 hi res photos (all available in L2) taken by Mike Fossum on the ISS)

Less than 10 minutes before landing, the ISS made a breath-taking visual pass directly over the Kennedy Space Center in a final salute to the Shuttle Program, heralding Atlantis’s arrival to her permanent home city.

At 05:57:54, Atlantis descended from the darkness and touched her wheels to the pavement at the Shuttle Landing Facility for an emotional finale to her legacy and the legacy of the Space Shuttle Program.

Upon “wheels stop,” the final Shuttle Commander thanked all the men and women who worked on the program and the vehicles over the preceding 30+ years. And in a touching moment, Commander Ferguson also thanked the five flight vehicles themselves for protecting their crews and enabling the expansion of our knowledge and quest for science.

Less than 30 minutes after landing, Atlantis fell silent for the final time.

It was over.
 
Final Reflections on a legend:

With that final Shuttle landing came a moment of joy, sadness, grief, prolonged contemplation, but above all PRIDE in an amazingly complex set of vehicles that inspired countless numbers around the world, flew more people to space than any other spacecraft thus far (and for many, many decades to come), and helped bridge the gap between nations and forge unprecedented alliances in space.

For 30 years, 3 months, 8 days, 22 hours and 57 minutes (April 12, 1981 at 0700EDT to July 21, 2011 at 0557 EDT), the five space-worthy Shuttle orbiters spent a combined total of 1,332 days 1 hour and 36 minutes in space, completing 21,152 orbits of Earth over 548.2 million miles.

All five Shuttle orbiters deployed a combined total of 66 satellites, completed 46 rendezvous with an orbital space station (9 to MIR and 37 to ISS), and carried a combined total of 827 crewmembers (some more than once) into space.

For the final breakdown:

Discovery (OV-103): 39 missions; 365days 12hrs 53mins in space; 5,830 orbits of Earth; 148.2 million miles travelled; 31 satellites deployed (including the Hubble Space Telescope); 14 space station dockings; 252 crewmembers.

Atlantis (OV-104): 33 missions; 305days 7hrs 47mins in space; 4,848 orbits of Earth; 125.9 million miles travelled; 14 satellites deployed; 19 space station dockings (a world-wide record she will keep for decades to come); 207 crewmembers.

Columbia (OV-102): 28 missions; 300days 17hours 41mins in space; 4,808 orbits of Earth; 125.5 million miles travelled; 8 satellites deployed; 160 crewmembers.

Endeavour (OV-105): 25 missions; 299days 3hrs 19mins in space; 4,671 orbits of Earth; 122.8 million miles travelled; 3 satellites deployed; 12 space station dockings and one space station rendezvous and grapple; 148 crewmembers.

Challenger (OV-099): 10 missions; 62days 7hrs 56mins in space; 995 orbits of Earth; 25.8 million miles travelled; 10 satellites deployed; 60 crewmembers.

And while the Shuttles’ missions are behind them, and their engines and APUs forever silent, we wish them and all who have flown aboard them, and all who have worked on them, and all who dedicated theirs lives to making them fly Godspeed in whatever the future may hold.

The Space Shuttle Program, the five orbiters, and their dedicated workforce leave behind an unprecedented legacy of achievement – and a legacy that must never be forgotten, a legacy where all were taught by example “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

But moreover, the five Shuttle orbiters made a thousands-strong workforce incredibly proud.

To all of the NASA engineers, all of the astronauts, the entire NASA workforce (including those contractually employed by Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, ATK, Lockheed, USA), and all those whose names we never heard but nonetheless worked silently and many times without recognition in support of a program that you whole-heartedly believed in, we give you our resounding thanks and gratitude.

Without you, this program would not have been what it was.

The Shuttle program has come to an end, but the legacy of the program and those who worked and flew aboard the Shuttle, as well as those who will continue the dream of human space exploration, will forever carry on.

And so, for the final time, to Enterprise (1977-1985), Columbia (1981-2003), Challenger (1983-1986), Discovery (1984-2011), Atlantis (1985-2011), and Endeavour (1992-2011), you will always have our eternal thanks and gratitude for all that you have enabled the human race to learn and discover about not only the universe and our home planet, but also about ourselves and our ability to work together to achieve common and mutually-supportive objectives.

It was an incredible journey. And those of us who were a part of this great program, no matter how small a part, will never forget a single part of it or the Orbiters and people who made it all possible.

Thank you.

Please note: Clickable links with (L2) references point directly to cited L2 content. Such content is only available to L2 members (please ensure you are logged in). All other clickable links point to NSF articles and open content.

To read about Atlantis and her sisters – from birth, processing, every single mission, through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25837.0

Click here for the amazing MaxQ Entertainment STS-135 Mission Review Music Video:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26178.0

(Images: Via Larry Sullivan and Brian Papke, MaxQ Entertainment/NASASpaceflight.com, L2 and L2 presentations and NASA. To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Endeavour rollaround moved forward to Thursday – FRR concludes The unique transfer of Endeavour and the STS-126 stack from...
3. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...

Sleep Well, Atlantis:

The fourth operational orbiter of NASA’s fleet, Shuttle Atlantis was named, like her sisters, after previous Earth-bound vessels of exploration. However, unlike her three operational sisters to come before her, Atlantis was named after only one ship and is the only Shuttle orbiter named after a 20th century Earth-bound sailing ship.

Atlantis is also the only Shuttle orbiter named after an Earth-bound American research vessel. Specifically, the orbiter Atlantis takes her name from the 1930-1966 two-mastered boat that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute of Massachusetts.

Construction of the fourth and originally final Space Shuttle orbiter for NASA’s fleet began on January 29, 1979 when NASA awarded the contract to build OV-104 (Orbiting Vehicle 104) to Rockwell International.

Start of structural assembly of OV-104′s crew module began on March 30, 1980, before engineers at Palmdale began final assembly of OV-104′s constituent parts – a procedure which was complete on April 10, 1984. After an additional full year of end-to-end testing of all of her systems, construction was complete, and on April 6, 1985 the new Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis was rolled out of her construction facility.

Three days after Shuttle Atlantis’ rollout ceremony at Palmdale, she was transported overland to Edwards Air Force Base, CA where final preparations were made for her cross-country ferry flight – culminating in delivery to the Kennedy Space Center on April 13, 1985: 4 years and one day after the very first Shuttle flight.

Atlantis’ first mission would be STS-51J, which launched on October 3, 1985. Her Department of Defence (DOD) mission involved her deploying a classified payload, before returning to Earth to landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California at 13:00.08 EDT on runway 23 on October 7.

Her final mission was the last flight of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). Carried out flawlessly, STS-135 was a late addition to the manifest, allowing Atlantis the honor of closing out the program when she returned back to the Kennedy Space Center in July. (Animation created from some of the 114 hi res photos (all available in L2) taken by Mike Fossum on the ISS)

“It’s bittersweet as Atlantis comes home where she will forever stay. I couldn’t have more pride in this Space Shuttle team for your service to KSC, NASA, and America. What this team has accomplished over the past 30 years will be talked about and admired for generations to come,” noted KSC Director Bob Cabana in an emotional address to the workforce.

Work will continue on Atlantis, as she is prepared for going on display in a new facility at the visitor center, which will become her new home late in 2012, or early in 2013.

However, with the final task requiring a powered up status – the stowing of the Ku-Band antenna – Thursday morning saw the orbiter put to sleep for one final time.

The event – which engineers present at the time noted – was highly emotional, as the “Vehicle Powered” sign was turned off, as it has already been for Discovery, never to be lit again.

“Technicians in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 are scheduled to power down Atlantis for the final time Thursday. The shuttle’s Ku-band antenna also will be stowed for the last time. Wednesday, techs removed Atlantis’ airlock from the payload bay. The airlock is set to be transferred temporarily to Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility today,” noted a status report.

Atlantis had already had her Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS), OMS (Orbital Manuevering System) Pods and Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) removed earlier in what is called her Transition and Retirement (T&R) flow.

OPF-1:

Eventually, Atlantis will depart OPF-2, as all three facilities are turned over to the 21st Century Space Launch Complex effort, which has already seen OPF-3 handed over to one of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) suitors – Boeing and their CST-100 spacecraft – after signing a 15 year lease via a NASA agreement with Space Florida, the State’s aerospace economic development agency.

OPF-1 was also the subject of a Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) meeting this month, relating to the potential to provide an early turnover of the facility from its current role with the orbiter.

The meeting presentation noted the need to identify risks and schedule impacts of the early OPF-1 release schedule versus the baseline orbiter processing schedule, along with assessing the possibility and schedule improvement of accelerating Endeavour’s processing assuming early turn-over of OPF-1 is approved.

Such a turnover is directly related to the current “repurposing” efforts for the Space Launch System (SLS) and commercial entities, something which proved to be a major issue for the recent proposal to restart shuttle operations, which was concluded last week after a final meeting with NASA.

Endeavour – who is donating some of her Main Propulsion System (MPS) hardware to the SLS program – is also yet to receive her three Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs), required as she has also donated her three flight-proven SSMEs to SLS.

“OV-105 (Endeavour) schedule is independent of OPF Bay 1 early release. OV-105 schedule is based on SLS/RSME work,” noted the PRCB presentation, available to download on L2. “Only improvements to SLS timelines can accelerate 105′s dates. Add 3rd shift and/or weekends.”

Based on the requirement for the orbiters to provide some early assistance to the SLS teams, Transition and Retirement (T&R) flow timelines and projected “delivery” dates, the PRCB concluded they believe it is possible to vacant OPF-1 by July, 2012.

Click here for other T&R Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/t&r/

“Early Release of OPF Bay 1 can be accomplished without adversely affecting T&R milestones,” added the presentation. “Given the current guidelines and work rules, Rev G (Early OPF Bay 1 assessment)reflects the earliest “Ready to Ferry” dates possible.

“T&R milestones/vehicle delivery dates will continue to be assessed and optimized to improve timelines. Additional risks of performing work in the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) can be mitigated and is within experience base.”

With only two OPFs being used by the orbiters, they will continue to take turns in spending a “vacation” in the VAB. The next switch is expected to take place in January.

To read about Atlantis from birth through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25785.0

Please note: Clickable links with (L2) references point directly to cited L2 content. Such content is only available to L2 members (please ensure you are logged in). All other clickable links point to NSF articles and open content.

(Images: Via L2 content, Larry Sullivan, MaxQ Entertainment/NASASpaceflight.com and NASA.gov.)

(L2 and NSF are continuing to follow the orbiters through their transitional period. To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

Related posts:

1. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...
2. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...

Part 3: Atlantis’ Final Flights: Pushing Forward Despite the Odds:

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/ov-104atlantis-international-vehicle-changing-world/

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/shuttle-atlantis-mir-realization-program-goal/

After completing her seven straight trips to the MIR space station, Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (OV-104) entered what would be the final chapter of her career. Firstly, Atlantis was taken out of service for her second Orbiter Modification Down Period (OMDP).

During this OMDP at her construction facility in Palmdale, CA, Atlantis received all the necessary upgrades to enable her to fly construction missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

She also became the first orbiter in NASA’s fleet of four orbiters to receive the new glass cockpit – a cockpit that features electronic instrument displays instead of mechanical gauges.

After the OMDP, Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center in September 1998 and moved into OPF-2 for processing for her STS-101/2A.2 resupply mission to the ISS.

Originally targeting launch in August 1999, subsequent delays to the ISS assembly schedule caused by the need to inspect wiring across the Shuttle fleet after a launch event on Columbia in July 1999 delayed the launch of the STS-101 mission until April 2000.

In August 1999, Atlantis was temporarily stored in the VAB to make room in an OPF for her sister Endeavour.

Atlantis’s STS-101 mission then slipped to March 16, April 17, and April 24. The last slip to April 24 was done to let the mission’s Commander have more time to train for the mission following an ankle injury.

In March, Atlantis was moved to the VAB and mated with her ET/SRB flight stack and then moved out to Pad-A on March 25.

On April 24, all proceeded well, but at 16:17 EDT, the launch team officially scrubbed the launch due to out-of-limit crosswinds at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).

The count was recycled for the following day. But on April 25, the launch was scrubbed at the T-38min and counting mark due to high winds at the SLF and launch pad.

On April 26, the 3rd consecutive launch attempt, launch was scrubbed at T-9mins and holding due to unacceptable weather at all of the mission’s three Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites.

The launch was reset for May 18, but postponed on May 17 due to the 24-hr launch delay of an Atlas III rocket.

On May 19, 2000, Atlantis successfully launched at 06:11 EDT. It was her 24th mission, the 69th space launch from Pad-A, the 98th Space Shuttle mission, and the 24th night launch of the program.

It was also the 1st launch of a Space Shuttle orbiter with the new glass cockpit.

Following docking at 00:30 EDT 20 May 2000, Atlantis began assembly of the Strela crane on ISS, the installation of additional handrails on the outside of the ISS (Unity and Zarya modules) via one EVA by two of her crewmembers, and the set-up of the center-line camera cable – a future vital part of ISS/Shuttle docking operations.

The mission also delivered numerous supplies to the ISS via the SPACEHAB double module and the SPACEHAB Integrated Cargo Carrier pallet located in Atlantis’s Payload Bay. Some of these supplies included film and video equipment, office supplies, personal items for the upcoming crew of the Station, crew health maintenance items, and medical support supplies.

Atlantis also boosted the Station’s orbit from 230 miles to 250 miles. After 9 days 21 hours 10 minutes and 10 seconds, Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center, FL at 02:20 EDT on May 29 on Runway 15.

However, post-flight inspections of Atlantis revealed a very serious issue with the vehicle’s Thermal Protection System.

Upon post-flight inspection of Atlantis after STS-101, it was discovered that a damaged tile seam had allowed superheated plasma from reentry to enter the vehicle’s left wing. The gas did not penetrate deeply into the wing structure and all the damage was repaired before Atlantis’s next flight.

Nonetheless, the damaged tile seam and hot gas penetration into the orbiter – had it penetrated more deeply than it did – could have led to wide-spread internal damage and the potential for the loss of the vehicle and her flight crew during reentry.

It would be a hot gas penetration into her sister Columbia’s left wing on February 1, 2003 that would lead to the loss of Columbia and her flight crew.

On August 7, 2000, Atlantis was moved to the VAB and then out to Pad-B on August 13 for final processing for the STS-106/2A.2b mission. At the Flight Readiness Review, launch was set for September 8.

On September 6, the lighting mast on Pad-B was hit by lightning, but an engineering review quickly cleared the vehicle for flight.

Atlantis lifted off on her 22nd mission and the 99th for the Shuttle Program at 08:45.47 EDT on September 8, 2000.

The mission marked the ONLY time in Program history that Atlantis flew on back-to-back missions for the Shuttle program. With this flight, all four of the original orbiters in NASA’s Shuttle fleet completed back-to-back flights for the Program.

Only Endeavour never flew back-to-back mission for the Shuttle Program.

During STS-106, Atlantis delivered tons of supplies to the still un-crewed ISS and paved the way for the arrival of Expedition 1 to the ISS in the fall of 2000.

Supplies for the ISS were brought up by Atlantis via the SPACEHAB double module and the SPACEHAB Integrated Cargo Carrier. Supplies were also unloaded from the Russian Progress M-1 spacecraft at the end of the Zvezda Service Module.

During the mission, the 50th spacewalk in Space Shuttle Program history was conducted by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Dr. Ed Lu in support of ISS construction operations.

The goal of the STS-106 mission was to make final preparations for the arrival of the first crew on the International Space Station and the start of permanent human settlement on the outpost later that year.

Atlantis undocked from the Station successfully and returned to Earth on September 19 with a 03:56 EDT landing at the Kennedy Space Center. It was the 23rd consecutive Shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center, the 30th Kennedy landing in the last 31 flights, and the 52nd overall landing at Kennedy.

It was also the 15th night landing in Program history.

Atlantis was moved into an OPF later that day and spent 2.5 months processing for her next mission: STS-98.

On December 4, she was moved to the VAB, mated with her ET/SRB stack, and then transported out to Pad-A on January 2, 2001.

During rollout operations, the primary computer processor on the crawler malfunctioned and NASA decided to roll Atlantis back to the VAB after only an hour of rollout operations.

The second crawler was brought in immediately and Atlantis was successfully rolled out to the pad the same day and launch remained set for January 19.

However, questions over cables running throughout the Solid Rocket Boosters across the Shuttle fleet led to the inspection of the cables on Atlantis’s SRBs while at the launch pad.

The inspections were positive, but continued concerns prompted Program managers to air on the side of safety and ordered the rollback of Atlantis to the VAB for more thorough testing.

The rollback decision was made on January 15 – just hours before the launch countdown was scheduled to begin. Atlantis payload was rolled back January 20. It was the 14th rollback in program history. Cable tests in the VAB provided excellent data and the cables were cleared for flight.

On Jan. 25, Atlantis’s launch was reset for February 7, and Atlantis was returned to Pad-A on Jan. 26.

On launch day, the launch team briefly discussed an irregular voltage on one of Atlantis’s Multiplexer-Demultiplexer units. It was determined to be a sensor issue and nothing more.

At 18:13.02 EST on February 7, 2001 – 2 mins after the planned liftoff time – Atlantis lifted off from Pad-A to begin her 23rd mission and the 102nd flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

Liftoff of STS-98 marked the first Space Shuttle flight and the first world-wide manned spaceflight of the 21st century – with Atlantis holding the honor.

This means, that coupled with the STS-97/Endeavour mission of Nov./Dec. 2000, that the Space Shuttle fleet conducted both the last manned spaceflight of the 20th century and the first manned spaceflight of the 21st century. 

STS-98 successfully docked with the International Space Station’s PMA-3 docking port – marking the second and last time that a Space Shuttle docked to this PMA on the Station.

Following docking, the Atlantis crew delivered and attached the premiere US science laboratory to the Station: the Destiny module.

This marked the first of three times that Atlantis would deliver a permanent pressurized module to the International Space Station – tying her with sister Discovery for the most permanent pressurized elements delivered to the International Space Station.

The mission also brought forth the 100th spacewalk in U.S. spaceflight history.

After two days of weather wave offs at Kennedy, Atlantis landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base on February 20 at 15:33 EST for a total mission duration of 12 days 21 hours 21 minutes and 00 seconds.

After being returned to the Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis was prepared for her next starring role on the STS-104/7A assembly mission.

Engineers moved Atlantis to the VAB on May 29 and mated her with her ET/SRB flight stack. Shortly after her arrival in the VAB, the International Space Station experienced a problem with its new robotic arm.

Launch of Atlantis was then delayed until No Earlier Than early-July to allow engineers on the ground time to fix the station’s arm.

Mating of Atlantis to her ET proceeded without delay, though, and the entire stack remained in the VAB until a new launch date was selected.

On June 19, a July 12 launch date was selected for Atlantis and the vehicle began its rollout to Pad-B the following day. However, lightning soon moved into the area and the rollout was cancelled and Atlantis returned to the VAB.

Atlantis was completely rolled out to Pad-B on July 21. During the pad flow, technicians replaced and retested one of Atlantis’s Mass Memory Units.

After a near-flawless pad flow, Atlantis lifted off right on time on her first attempt at 05:04 EDT on July 12, 2001.

Liftoff marked the 24th flight of Atlantis and the 105th flight of the Shuttle program. It also marked the second and last time that a Space Shuttle orbiter flew a numerically designated mission that matched its airframe number: OV-104/Atlantis on STS-104.  Discovery, OV-103/STS-103, was the other occurrence.

The launch also debuted the use of the new Block II Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) in one engine location on this flight. During nominal Main Engine Cutoff, an anomaly was detected in the shutdown sequence of the new engine. A mitigation plan was worked an implemented on the STS-108/Endeavour flight in December.

During STS-104, Atlantis delivered the Quest Airlock to the ISS. Delivery, installation, and activation of the Quest Airlock marked the transfer to the ISS from the Space Shuttle of primary ISS EVA egress and ingress access.

The mission also marked the first use of Quest for an ISS assembly EVA (spacewalk #3 of the mission).

Atlantis landed safely on July 24 at 23:38 EDT at the Kennedy Space Center – one day later than planned because of adverse weather at Kennedy the day before.

Atlantis was moved into an OPF the following day and then out to the VAB on March 6, 2002 for ET/SRB stack mating.

STS-110/Atlantis was moved out to Pad-B on March 12.

Launch on April 4 was scrubbed after the start of ET tanking due to a hydrogen leak on the outside of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP).

The leak was repaired and launch rescheduled for April 8.

On April 8, all stations were for “go” for launch and the countdown picked up at the T-9min mark. At T-5min, the countdown was held due to a problem with Launch Processing System communication with the Front End Processor.

The launch team quickly and safely worked the issue, and with only 11 seconds of hold time remaining, the issue was cleared.

Atlantis lifted off on her 25th mission at 16:44.19 EDT with only 11 seconds remaining in the launch window. Until STS-133/Discovery in February 2011, this would stand as the closest the Shuttle had ever come to the end of a ISS launch window while still launching successfully.

STS-133/Discovery would shatter Atlantis’s record by launching with only 2secs of window and 1sec of LOX Drainback Hold Time remaining in its window.

STS-110 marked the 50th space launch from Pad-B and the first Shuttle flight to use Block II SSMEs in all three engine locations.

The flight also marked the 7th and final spaceflight for astronaut Jerry Ross – who flew 5 of his 7 missions on the Atlantis, a record for any astronaut on a single vehicle. It was the first time that one person flew to space 7 times – a record that would be tied on the very next Space Shuttle mission.

STS-110/Atlantis also marked the first flight of Rex Walheim – who will be Atlantis’s and the Space Shuttle Program’s final Flight Engineer on the upcoming launch of STS-135/Atlantis.

During STS-110, Atlantis was called upon to deliver the S0 truss to the ISS – the truss segment that forms the backbone of the Integrated Truss Structure on the ISS.

The mission also delivered the Mobile Transporter to the ISS, paving the way for the delivery of the Mobile Base System on the next Shuttle mission.

After 10 days and 19hours in space, Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center at 12:27 EDT on Runway 33 on April 19.

She was then moved into an OPF where she spent four months processing for STS-112. She was moved to the VAB on September 4 and out to Pad-B on September 10, 2002.

On Oct. 7, 2002, Atlantis lifted off on STS-112 at 15:46 EDT on her 26th mission and 111th mission for the Program. On board Atlantis was astronaut Sandy Magnus, making her first trip to space. Magnus will be a member of Atlantis’s final crew when the vehicle launches on STS-135 later this week.

The flight also marked the first time that a camera was placed on the LOX Feedline of the External Tank (ET) looking down over the ET’s Ice Frost Ramps and PAL (Protuberance Air Load) ramp – a safety feature that would become mandatory three flights later.

During STS-112, Atlantis delivered the next segment of the Integrated Truss Structure: the S1 starboard truss which weighed 28,000 lbs. Atlantis also delivered the Crew Equipment Translation Aid to the Station and carried numerous science experiments to orbit.

After 4.5 million miles, Atlantis returned safely to Earth on Oct 18. with an 11:44.35 EDT landing on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center.

She was towed into an OPF and prepared for her next role on the STS-114 mission in March 2003.

Post-flight analysis of this mission, however, revealed that a piece of ET bipod foam had broken free from Atlantis’s STS-112 external tank and impacted an SRB with such force that it bent the case metal of the booster.

The standard FRR (Flight Readiness Review ) for STS-113/Endeavour – the immediate following flight to STS-112/Atlantis – indicated that NASA was aware of the foam liberation event.

The ET FRR presentation for STS-113 noted that “The Orbiter has not experienced ‘Safety of Flight’ damage from loss of foam in 112 flights (including 3 known ET bipod ramp foam loss).”

STS-113/Endeavour and STS-107/Columbia were both cleared for launch on this rationale.

On January 16, 2003, a large chuck of ET bipod foam broke free from Columbia’s ET and impacted the orbiter on her left hand Wing Leading Edge RCC Thermal Protection System panels.

On February 1, 2003, just one month before the scheduled launch of STS-114/Atlantis, sister Columbia broke-up during atmospheric reentry over Texas.

The resulting accident grounded the Space Shuttle fleet as a full investigation was made.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) revealed the cause of the Columbia accident to be the piece of ET bipod foam that broke off the tank and impacted Columbia’s left wing, breaching the delicate Thermal Protection System RCC panels on Columbia’s wing leading edge thus allowing superheated plasma to enter and melt the vehicle’s aluminum airframe during reentry.

The CAIB specifically pointed to the STS-112/Atlantis foam loss event as a major indicator of compromised ET/Shuttle orbiter flight safety.

Following the CAIB’s recommendations, Atlantis, along with her two surviving sisters, was upgraded with the suggested CAIB recommendations before being chosen as the Return to Flight orbiter for mission STS-114.

However, a problem with Atlantis’s landing gear forced NASA to remove Atlantis from the STS-114 flight and assign her to the Launch On Need rescue flight for STS-114 and the primary vehicle for the second Return to Flight mission: STS-121.

Thus, Atlantis was the first Space Shuttle orbiter to service in the role of emergency rescue vehicle – an ironic twist given that her last mission (STS-135) will not have a rescue Shuttle standing by but will instead rely on the Russian Soyuz for emergency support.

Nonetheless, after a large piece of foam liberated from the External Tank during STS-114′s launch, the Shuttle fleet was again grounded, and because of the lengthy delay Atlantis was removed from assignment from the STS-121 mission.

Again, Atlantis was given Launch On Need rescue duty for STS-121 while retaining her assignment to STS-115.

Following the successful flight of STS-121/Discovery in July 2006, Atlantis was stacked with her ET/SRBs and moved to the launch pad in August 2006 for the STS-115 mission.

After numerous weather and technical delays, Atlantis launched for the first time in four years on September 9, 2006 on a mission that delivered the P3/P4 truss and a new set of solar arrays to the ISS.

Launching on Atlantis/STS-115 on his very first spaceflight was Pilot Chris Ferguson – who will be Atlantis’s final Commander when she launches on STS-135 later this week.

During STS-115, Atlantis’s flight crew demonstrated the new safety equipment made mandatory after the Columbia accident when they scanned the underbelly of Atlantis with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to ensure that all TPS (Thermal Protection System) tiles were intact after unidentifiable co-orbital debris was spotted near Atlantis after undocking from the ISS.

Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center on September 21, 2006 at 06:21.30 EDT.

STS-115 marked Atlantis’s final launch from Pad-B at the Kennedy Space Center.

Five months later, Atlantis was back at LC-39A for the STS-117 mission.

During the Space Shuttle Program FRR in late-February an intense hail storm at the pad imparted over 2,000 divots into Atlantis’s ET that had to be repaired.

Atlantis was rolled back from the pad to the VAB where ET repairs were conducted from March to May.

Atlantis was returned to the launch pad in May and launched on the first attempt on June 8, 2007 at 19:38.04 EDT.

Liftoff of Atlantis and STS-117 marked the 250th manned orbital spaceflight in history

During STS-117, Atlantis delivered a mirrored truss to P3/P4 – the S3/S4 truss and solar arrays – to the ISS and retracted a second set of solar arrays on the P6 truss in preparation for its transfer to a new location on the Station on STS-120 later that year.

STS-117 lasted 13-days, 20-hours, 12-minutes, and 44-seconds. It is Atlantis’s longest flight to date and spanned 219 orbits of Earth and 5.8 million miles.

Atlantis followed her longest flight with the STS-122 mission.

Originally scheduled to launch on December 4, 2006, the mission was delayed two months so NASA could nail down and fix the vexing ECO (Engine Cutoff) sensor anomalies that had plagued the fleet since STS-114 in 2005.

After fixing the ECO sensor issue, Atlantis was launched on the ST-122 flight exactly seven years to the day after STS-98.

During STS-122, Atlantis delivered the first Laboratory to ISS since Destiny (STS-98).  STS-122 on Atlantis marked the beginning of construction of the international partner laboratories with the delivery of the European Space Agency’s Columbus research module to the ISS.

STS-122 also marked the celebration of NASA’s 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the first US unmanned orbital flight.

Atlantis undocking from the International Space Station for what many believed to be her final time on February 18, 2008.

Following her return to earth on February 20, 2008 with a mid-morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis was prepared for what was at the time her final mission: STS-125 to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Click here for STS-125 Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-125/

Originally, targeting launch in October 2008, STS-125 was delayed to May 2009 due to the failure of a critical component on the Telescope and the desire to fly a replacement component up on Atlantis – the last upgrade mission to Hubble.

Launch of Atlantis and the STS-125 mission represented a tremendous undertaking on the part of NASA and remains a shining example of the work and dedication to safety that NASA upholds on a daily basis.

During the seven month delay to STS-125, Atlantis’s retirement was put on hold and the vehicle officially handed two additional missions thanks to a review of the Shuttle Program’s OMDP time/life cycle requirements.

With a renewed spirit and the knowledge that she would continue service to NASA through the projected end of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis was readied once again for STS-125 Hubble mission.

And with Endeavour standing by on Pad-B in case Atlantis’s crew required rescue, Atlantis and the STS-125 mission lifted off right on time on the first launch attempt at 14:01:56 EDT May 11, 2009.

After rendezvousing with the Hubble Telescope, Atlantis’s astronauts performed five back-to-back spacewalks completing EVERY SINGLE complex and delicate mission objective and returning the Hubble Telescope to full operating capability.

STS-125 successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base, CA on 24 May 2009 at 11:39.05 EDT after 12 days 21 hours 37 minutes and 9 seconds in space.

Upon return to the Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis continued a series of mini-OMPD inspections that were part of the agreement to retain her for service past the STS-125 mission.

These mini-OMDPs (or periods of inspection of critical components on Atlantis to ensure safety on her two added flights) enabled NASA to hand Atlantis two flights following STS-125: STS-129 and STS-132.

Click here for STS-129 Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-129/

However, during post-flight turnaround from STS-125, a knob from a light fixture was found to be wedge in between Atlantis’s pilot’s console and the inner pressure pane window of the pilot’s window.

An extensive effort to remove the knob was undertaken and eventually proved successful. However, the pressure pane was found to be damaged.

Further analysis showed that the damage was not significant and would not interfere or impinge on safety margins during flight.

As such, a costly and extensive pressure pane replacement – which has never occurred at the Kennedy Space Center – was avoided (a replacement that could have removed Atlantis from service for 6-months or one year or all together).

Following resolution of this issue, Atlantis was rolled out to Pad-A in Oct 2009 for the STS-129 mission. During her stay at Pad-A, the Ares I-X test rocket was successfully launched from Pad-B. At the time, Ares I was the scheduled successor to the Space Shuttle.

On November 16, 2009, Atlantis lifted off on the STS-129 mission, a flight that served as the first major effort to pre-position thousands of pounds of external spare parts on the ISS before the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet.

During ground processing of Atlantis for STS-129, a record LOW number of 54 IPRs (problem reports) were recorded on Atlantis, shattering the old record of ~70 IPRs set by sister Discovery.

Discovery later reclaimed the record with only 47 IPRs during her ground flow toward STS-131.

After a highly successful mission which saw the birth of the daughter of crewmember Randy Bresnik, Atlantis safely returned to Earth on Nov. 27, 2009 at 06:44.22 EST after 10 days and 19 hours in space.

Thus, Atlantis’s second penultimate flight was completed. Her first penultimate flight was STS-122 in February 2008. After landing, Atlantis immediately entered processing for what was her final flight: STS-132.

Click here for STS-132 News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-132/

During the STS-132 flow, Atlantis regained her cherished record of least amount of problems in a single flow with only 46 IPRs recorded during her ground flow toward her final mission: STS-132. This record will be forever Atlantis’s as neither Discovery nor Endeavour broke the record on their final missions earlier this year.

With absolutely no instances of misbehavior, Atlantis lifted off right on time on her first launch attempt at 14:20 EDT on 14 May 2010.

In fact, Atlantis’s excellent behavior during what was her final launch countdown drew high praise from Alexey Krasnov, Chief of Piloted Programs Directorate, Roscosmos.

During the post-launch news conference for STS-132, Krasnov remarked that Atlantis was screaming, “use me again!”

After a stunningly perfect mission to deliver the Russian Rassvet MRM-1 module to the International Space Station, Atlantis eased onto Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space to wrap up what is now lovingly called her first-last mission.

At the time of her landing on STS-132, Atlantis’s future seemed bound to Earth – with even her status as LON rescue vehicle for the final Space Shuttle flight in question.

However, in June 2010, Atlantis officially gained the roll of LON rescue mission STS-335 – to launch only if needed to rescue Endeavour’s flight crew should Endeavour become disable on the STS-134 mission.

And so Atlantis’s status remained until January 2011 when NASA took the first step to actually fly Atlantis on an actual STS-135 mission using the hardware and payload of the STS-335 mission.

In February 2011, it was finally made official: Space Shuttle Atlantis would fly the STS-135 mission in summer 2011 and become the final Space Shuttle orbiter to fly in space.

Click here for STS-135 News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-135/

With a scheduled launch on Friday morning (July 8th) at 11:26am EDT, STS-135 will mark the 33rd and final voyage of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the 135th and final flight of the Space Shuttle.

From her delivery to the Kennedy Space Center in April 1985 and her first launch in October of that year, few could have imagined the Shuttle orbiter Atlantis would be the vehicle to fly on the Program historic final flight.

Over the course of her career, Atlantis became the first Space Shuttle orbiter to dock to the orbiting space station. Fittingly enough, she will also be the last.

She is also vehicle to have performed the single-most dockings with at space station: 19 total (7 to MIR and 12 to ISS counting STS-132).

Atlantis will also be the final Space Shuttle orbiter to visit the two most iconic symbols of success thus far in humankind’s exploration of space: the Hubble Space Telescope (STS-125) and the International Space Station (STS-135)

In all 24 of Atlantis’s 33 flights will have been dedicated to international pursuits at the time of her retirement, making her the “most international” orbiter in the Space Shuttle Program.

Atlantis has served the Space Shuttle Program extremely well in her 25.5 year career. She has deployed two interplanetary probes, deployed 12 satellites, conducted 7 straight dockings with the Russian MIR space station, serviced the Hubble Telescope once, and conducted 12 International Space Station construction flights (included STS-135).

Her service is one that could not have been done without, and one that has paved the way for unprecedented international cooperation both now and for the future of space exploration.

And to many she has held the most meaningful name of all the Space Shuttles: ATLANTIS – a long-standing name of perseverance and longing.

Like the mythical city before her, Atlantis’s name symbolizes our collective desire to push forward despite the nay-sayers and the unbelievers and reach for and believe in something that might not be tangible yet but we know in our hearts is there.

Perhaps, in this way, it is fitting that Atlantis will be that final Shuttle orbiter to fly – taking with her our hopes, beliefs, and desires on one final Space Shuttle mission to expand our scientific discoveries and endeavours on the International Space Station and beyond.

To the Atlantis and all who have worked and flown aboard her, we say THANK YOU for an awe-inspiring JOB WELL DONE, and we wish you fair skies and a strong wind at your sail as you embark on your final voyage.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/ov-104atlantis-international-vehicle-changing-world/

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/shuttle-atlantis-mir-realization-program-goal/

(Article images via L2 Historical’s huge collection of Hi Res (larger than desktop size, average 3mb each, many scanned and restored from hard copies) images, videos, MER reports, etc. For nearly every mission – over 500 gigabytes an growing just for the historical database. Some images also via NASA.gov and Nate Moeller, MaxQ Entertainment/NASASpaceflight.com

All images used in this article are associated with the mission the article references, via L2′s image database – Click here to Join L2 http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2 ).

Related posts:

1. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...
2. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...

PART 2: Shifting Gears: MIR and Atlantis – the start of a beautiful partnership in space:

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/ov-104atlantis-international-vehicle-changing-world/

Following the completion of the STS-66 ATLAS-3 mission in November 1994, Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis – known in the daily NASA processing world as OV-104 – was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on November 21 and moved into an OPF on Nov. 22.

Here, major preparations and configuration changes were made to Atlantis – specifically to her internal airlock and Orbiter Docking System (ODS) to prepare her for a historic link-up in space.

On April 20, 1995, Atlantis was rolled to the VAB and mated to External Tank 70 (ET-70) and SRB (Solid Rocket Booster) BI set 072 on Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) 3.

On April 26, Atlantis and the STS-71 stack was moved to LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Once at the pad, launch of STS-71 was delayed behind the launch of STS-70/Discovery due to a late agreement with Russia which allowed them to launch the Spektr module to MIR so that its capabilities would be active before Atlantis arrived.

On May 18, engineers decided to remove and replace (R&R) the High-Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFT) on Space Shuttle Main Engine 3 (SSME-3) on Atlantis. The R&R and associated retests were completed on May 25.

On June 2, launch of STS-70/Discovery was postponed and the decision made to roll back that vehicle to the VAB after woodpeckers gouged over six dozen holes into the foam insulation on Discovery’s External Tank.

This decision precipitated a further change in the launch schedule which once again moved STS-71/Atlantis ahead of STS-70/Discovery in the launch sequence.

On June 21, during pre-launch flight tank pressurization operations, a leaking Reaction Control System (RCS) helium tank in the right hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod was found. Technicians decided to depress the tank and R&R a fitting on the tank.

A repeat leak check passed all tests and launch operations proceed toward a June 23rd liftoff.

On June 23, launch controllers were prevented from beginning the loading of nearly 536,000 gallons of Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) and Liquid Oxygen (LOX) into Atlantis’s ET due to adverse severe weather within 5 nautical miles of the launch pad.

Tanking was supposed to begin at 07:45 EDT. Managers delayed tanking as long as possible, but the weather did not clear in time and a 24-hr postponement to Atlantis’s launch was made.

On June 24, tanking operations proceed nominally; however, bad weather continued to skirt the area. At T-9mins and holding, during the “go/no go” poll, the launch team was forced to scrub the launch of Atlantis due to heavy cloud cover and thunderstorms in the area.

Because of the continued threat for bad weather over the following two days, the launch team reset the launch for June 27 at 15:32.10 EDT.

On June 27, pre-launch activities proceeded nominally with a 60% chance of good weather at liftoff. During the countdown, the precise launch time was refined to maximize vehicle performance at launch.

At 15:32:19.044 EDT, Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off LC-39A to begin the STS-71 mission.

STS-71 was Atlantis’s 14th mission, the 54th space launch off Pad-A, and the 100th US Manned Spaceflight.

Furthermore, STS-71 marked the first of nine Space Shuttle missions to the Russian MIR space station – and the first of seven straight back-to-back MIR missions for orbiter Atlantis.

The primary objectives of STS-71 were to rendezvous and dock the Atlantis with MIR, perform on-orbit joint US-Russian life sciences investigations, perform logistical resupply of MIR, deliver two new MIR crewmembers to MIR, and return US astronaut Norman Thagard and two cosmonauts from MIR.

With this, Atlantis became the first Space Shuttle orbiter to perform a direct crew rotation to the space station.

(While the final direct station crew rotation on Shuttle took place on STS-128/Discovery in 2009, Atlantis would also be the Space Shuttle orbiter to perform the final station crew member return mission when she returned Nicole Stott from the ISS in November 2009 on STS-129.)

At 09:00.16 EDT on 29 June 1995, Space Shuttle Atlantis performed the first-ever docking of a Shuttle to a Space Station – fulfilling a Program-long goal of using the Space Shuttle orbiters to support on-orbit Space Station operations.

With docking, Atlantis used the R-bar or Earth radius vector approach -closing in on MIR from “below” the complex.

This R-bar approach is exactly what Atlantis pioneered on her previous STS-66 mission.

The R-bar approach allowed the use of natural forces the brake Atlantis’s approach to MIR more than a direct approach to MIR would have done. This allowed for minimal RCS thruster firings and the conservation of propellants.

Upon docking, Atlantis and MIR formed the largest orbiting complex ever in orbit – a record which was broken on Atlantis’s next trip to MIR and then stood until the construction of the International Space Station.

Over the next 5 days, over 100 hours of crew time was spent transferring equipment and performing various medical experiments. In all, over 15 biomedical and scientific experiments were performed in Atlantis’s Spacelab module with the MIR 18 crew serving as the test subjects.

After the transfer completion of numerous supplies and equipment from Atlantis to MIR, and 4 days 22 hours 9 minutes and 26 seconds of docked operations, Atlantis undocked from MIR on July 4 in an event the provided – up until late May 2011 – the most iconic photograph of the Space Shuttle Program: Atlantis docked to MIR as seen from another close-range orbiting spacecraft.

After 9 days 19 hours 22 minutes and 17 seconds in space, Atlantis eased onto the sunny runway at the Kennedy Space Center on July 7, wrapping up a 4.1 million mile, 153 orbit mission to MIR and returning with a Shuttle record-tying 8 crewmembers. 

Later that day, Atlantis was rolled into an OPF at Kennedy, where she spent three full months processing for her next mission, STS-74.

On Oct. 3, she was mated to her ET/SRB flight stack and then moved to Pad-A on October 12.

An investigation into previously found cracks on hold-down posts on previous Shuttle stacks was cleared at the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) on Nov. 7 and launch was officially set for November 11.

On Nov. 11, the launch team monitored bad weather conditions at the mission’s Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites. With marginal conditions present at one TAL site, the decision was made to pick up the count from the T-9min and holding mark and countdown to and hold at T-5mins for final TAL weather evaluations.

The weather did not meet Launch Commit Criteria and the launch was scrubbed and rescheduled for the following day. This was only the second time in history that a manned US space launch was scrubbed because of weather at an emergency landing site. The previous occurrence was STS-61C/Columbia in January 1986.

The next day, the launch countdown proceeded on schedule; however, the primary concern on this day was launch and abort weather at Kennedy, not the TAL sites.

At T-9mins and holding, the “go/no go” poll revealed that all stations except one was go for launch. The SRO officer was “no go” due to RTLS (Return To Launch Site) abort weather violations – solid cloud cover below 6,000 feet.

The decision was made to continue monitoring the weather and not call for an immediate scrub.

With one minute of hold time remaining to meet the opening of the short launch window, the RTLS weather rules were satisfied and the “go” given to proceed.

Atlantis lifted off right on time at 07:30:43.371 EST on November 12, 1995 to begin her and the Shuttle Program’s second mission to the Russian MIR space station.

Liftoff of STS-74 marked the first time that representatives from the US, Russia, Canada, and the European Space Agency were in space together – four of the five primary countries responsible for building the upcoming International Space Station.

On FD-3 (Flight Day 3) of the mission, Atlantis’s flight crew successfully mated the Russian-built Docking Module to Atlantis’s ODS, preparing the vehicle and its primary payload for delivery and docking to MIR.

On FD-4, Atlantis completed docking operations to MIR in the early morning hours of November 15 by linking up with the MIR’s Kristall module with the Russian-built Docking Module already attached to her ODS.

During the three days of docked operations, Atlantis’s crew delivered a new set of solar arrays to the station and transferred numerous experiment samples and equipment for MIR’s upkeep.

The GPP payload in Atlantis’s payload bay also studied Earth’s thermosphere, ionosphere, and mesosphere during the flight.

Atlantis undocked from MIR on November 18 after 3days 1hour of docked operations.

She landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center, FL at 12:01.27 EDT at 8 days 4 hours 31 minutes 42 seconds of mission duration.

After three months in the OPF, Atlantis moved to the VAB on February 19, 1996 and then moved to Pad-B on February 28.

In early March, Atlantis’s single module SPACEHAB payload was installed into her payload bay, and the payload interface verification test was completed on March 12.

On March 11, the FRR officially set the STS-76′s launch date for March 22 at 03:13.14 EST.

The 43-hour countdown with 30hrs 30mins of built in holds began on March 18 at 02:00 EDT and proceeded smoothly and without issue.

At 03:13.04 EST 22 March 1996, Space Shuttle Atlantis thundered off LC-39B at the Kennedy Space Center on her 16th mission, the 13th night launch of the Space Shuttle Program.

It was also the 35th space launch from Pad-B, the 76th overall Space Shuttle mission, and the 1st Shuttle mission to use the new MCC (Mission Control Center) in Houston, TX.

Docking between Atlantis and MIR occurred on March 23 at 21:34 EST. During STS-76, Atlantis delivered astronaut Shannon Lucid to MIR and transferred hundreds of pounds of supplies and equipment to the Russian space station.

The European Space Agency’s Biorack experiment was also carried on SPACEHAB during this mission.

Over the five days of docked operations, 1,500 lbs of water and two tons of scientific equipment were transferred to MIR.

On FD-6 of the mission, Atlantis astronauts Goodwin and Clifford performed the first Shuttle/MIR spacewalk (EVA) and the first US EVA around two docked spacecraft.

The EVA deployed the Mir Environmental Effect Payload on the station’s docking module.

On March 28, managers decided to shorten Atlantis’s mission by one day to allow for a KSC landing.

Atlantis undocked from MIR on March 28 at 20:08.03 EST ahead of a planned March 30 landing.

On March 30, both KSC landing opportunities were waved off due to cloud formation south of the space center.

Atlantis landed the following day at Edwards Air Force Base, CA at 05:28.57 PST – 11 minutes before local sunrise, making the landing a technical daytime landing according to Shuttle flight rules.

STS-135 Specific Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-135/

On April 6, Atlantis’s ferry flight back to Kennedy was aborted 15 minutes after takeoff from Edwards when a fire warning was annunciated in the cabin of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The engine that generated the warning was replaced and Atlantis was returned to Kennedy on April 12.

On April 15, Atlantis was moved into an OPF where she spent two months processing for STS-79. She was mated to her ET/SRB stack on June 24 and rolled out to Pad-A on July 1 for a July 31 launch date.

Shortly after rollout, a hot gas path O-ring penetration on the Solid Rocket Boosters from the STS-78 launch was discovered during standard post-flight reviews. Immediately, managers began discussing the possibility of rolling Atlantis back from the Pad for repairs and inspections.

On July 9, the approach of Hurricane Bertha to the Kennedy Space Center forced NASA managers to order the rollback of Atlantis for Hurricane protection.

Rollback occurred on July 10. It was the 11th rollback in Shuttle Program history and the third due to Hurricane approaches.

At this time, the July 31 launch date was put on hold until No Earlier Than mid-September. On July 15, NASA officially deemed Atlantis’s SRBs unsafe for flight and order her SRBs replaced.

An investigation into the hot gas penetration revealed the cause to be a new adhesive and cleaning fluid mandated by new Environmental Protection Agency regulations. With this information I hand, NASA ordered the use of the older adhesive and a new SRB stack for STS-79.

During replacement SRB stacking operations, Atlantis remained bolted to her now defunct ET/SRB stack in the adjacent VAB high bay.

On July 25, an SRB field joint leak check between the right aft center and right forward center segments on the new SRB stack failed. The segments were destacked and inspected. An applicator brush bristle was found on the secondary O-ring and was identified as the most likely cause of the failed leak check.

New O-rings were installed, the segments re-mated, and the leak check re-performed. The leak check was successful. SRB stacking was completed and a new ET mated to the new SRB stack.

Atlantis was destacked from her defunct ET/SRB stack on August 2-3 and moved into OPF-3 for standard maintenance.  On August 13, she was moved back to the VAB and mated with her new ET/SRB stack.

Atlantis and the new STS-79 stack was rolled out to the launch pad on August 20, and on August 29, mission managers set Atlantis’s launch date for September 14 at the customary Flight Readiness Review (FRR).

On September 3, NASA managers decided that near-by Hurricane Fran posed a significant threat to Atlantis and ordered the vehicle’s rollback to the VAB for protection.

Atlantis was back in the VAB by 11:30 EDT on Sept. 4. It was the 12th rollback in Program history and the 4th for Hurricane protection. It is also the only time that a single Space Shuttle mission was rolled back twice because of an approaching Hurricane. 

Later that day, Hurricane Fran changed course and the threat to Kennedy and Atlantis passed. Atlantis was returned to the launch pad on September 5 by 08:30 EDT and launch was reset for September 16.

The countdown began on September 14 and proceeded without issue. On September 16, 1996 at 04:54:49.048 EDT, Atlantis lifted off on the STS-79 mission. It was her 17th flight, the 79th flight of the Program, and the 15th night launch of the Space Shuttle.

Atlantis successfully docked to MIR on September 18 at 23:13.18 EDT, making Atlantis the only Space Shuttle orbiter to dock to a completed Space Station – an honor that is hers and hers alone since the International Space Station will not be completed until well-after the final flight of the Shuttle Program.

STS-79 also featured the first direct crew transfer of American crewmembers from MIR and marked the first time the SPACEHAB module was flown in a double module configuration.

During the 5 days of docked operations, the MIR and Atlantis crews transferred over 4,000 lbs of supplies to MIR, including three experiments. Moreover, roughly 2,000 lbs of experiments and supplies no longer needed where transferred to Atlantis for return to Earth.

This brought the total logistics transfers to 6,000 lbs – the largest ever attempted and achieved up to that point.

In addition to all this, Atlantis also carried three non-transferable experiments with her that were conducted over the course of the mission.

Furthermore, in an effort to reduce the risk environment for the upcoming International Space Station, the Active Risk Isolation System was flown for the very first time on this mission.

Following undocking on September 23 at 21:31.34 EDT, Atlantis performed a Vernier jet firing to lower her orbit – a test of Vernier jet orbit control that could be used on the upcoming STS-82/Discovery mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope’s orbit.

After 10days 3hrs 19mins 28secs, Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center at 08:13.20 EDT on Sept. 26.

She was moved into OPF-3 that day and spent 2months and one week processing for her next mission.

On December 5, she was moved to the VAB and then out to Pad-B five days later on Dec. 10. On January 6, 1997, the FRR set the launch date for STS-81 for January 12.

The launch countdown proceeded flawlessly and Atlantis lifted off right on time at 04:27.23 EST for her 18th mission, the 81st for the Shuttle Program, and the 16th night launch of the Shuttle.

Docking occurred at 22:54.49 EST 15 January and was the 5th Shuttle/MIR docking.

Atlantis again carried the SPACEHAB double module which allowed for the transfer of nearly 6,000 lbs of logistics to and from MIR.

The mission broke the old Atlantis record for amount of materials transferred between two spacecraft during a single joint mission, and Atlantis became the first space vehicle in history to return with plants that had completed all of their growth – an entire seed-to-seed growth phase – in space.

During the mission, Atlantis’s crew performed several experiments in advanced technology, Earth sciences, biology, human life sciences, microgravity and space sciences to further planning and utilization operations on the upcoming International Space Station.

The joint crew also tested a Treadmill Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System that would one day be used to develop the treadmills for the International Space Station.

Following on from her post-undocking Vernier thruster firing test on her pervious mission, Atlantis fired her Vernier thrusters while docked to MIR to test Shuttle Vernier thruster ability to boost a space station’s orbit – something that would eventually be used for International Space Station flights.

Atlantis undocked from MIR at 21:15.44 EST on January 19 after 4 days 22 hours 20 minutes 55 seconds of docked operations.

Landing occurred at the Kennedy Space Center on January 22, 1997 at 09:23.50 EST after 10days 4hours 56minutes 27seconds in space.

After three months in OPF-3, Atlantis was moved to the VAB on April 19 and mated with her ET/SRB stack for the STS-84.

After arriving at LC-39A on April 24, Atlantis sailed through pad processing.

The 43-hr countdown began at 2300 EDT 11 May 1997 and debuted a new 40-minute extended hold at the T-9min mark to provide extra cushion in the final minutes before launch to ensure that the launch team could execute a proper and as-stressless-as-possible launch within the extremely short launch window for MIR missions.

The extended T-9min hold would become standard for all subsequent MIR and ISS launches.

Liftoff of Atlantis and STS-84 occurred on May 15, 1997 at 04:07.48 EDT and represented the 19th flight of Atlantis, the 84th Space Shuttle mission, and the 18th night launch of the Space Shuttle Program.

Docking between Atlantis and MIR occurred at 22:33.20 EDT 16 May over the Adriatic sea. Over the course of the 5-day docked mission, Atlantis’s crew transferred 7,310 lbs of water and supplies to and from MIR – again setting a record for the amount of supplies transferred between two vehicles.

The mission also conducted Biorack facility experiments, a photo survey of MIR, environmental air samplings, and radiation monitoring.

After 4days 22hrs 30mins 36sec of docked operations, Atlantis departed MIR. However, unlike previous Shuttle/MIR missions, Atlantis did not perform a flyaround of the complex. Instead, she performed a series of three “stop” maneuvers to halt her departure from MIR in order to test a European sensor device for future rendezvous operations for a proposed European Space Agency resupply vehicle for ISS.

That vehicle would come to fruition as the Automated Transfer Vehicle – which has made two successful trips to ISS to date.

After 9days 5hrs 20mins, Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center at 09:27.44 EDT on May 24, 1997 after 145 orbits of Earth.

Later that day, she was moved into an OPF for immediate post-flight deservicing, which lasted through April 8.

She was then moved into the VAB for storage – at which point she gained control of the STS-86 mission, another flight to the MIR space station which had originally been assigned to her sister Endeavour.

On May 24, she was moved into OPF-3 for pre-flight processing. On August 11 she was moved into the VAB and mated with her flight tank and booster stack.

The entire STS-86 stack was moved to Pad-A on August 18.

On September 25, NASA Administrator Dan Golden completed a MIR safety review following the collision of a Progress vehicle to the station and gave the official go ahead to proceed with the launch of STS-86 and astronaut Dave Wolf’s stay on MIR.

Tanking of Atlantis began one hour later than planned because of a software glitch in the launch control center, but the countdown otherwise proceeded nominally.

At 22:34.19 EDT on September 15, 1997, Atlantis lifted off on the STS-86 mission. It was her 20th flight, her 7th straight mission to MIR, the Shuttle Program’s 87th mission, and the 19th night launch of the Shuttle Program.

Docking of Atlantis and MIR occurred at 15:58 EDT on Sept. 27. In addition to the transfer of a MIR crewmember and thousands of pounds of supplies and experiments, Atlantis’s STS-86 mission featured the first joint-US/Russian spacewalk (EVA) during a Shuttle mission.

Atlantis’s commander also fired the vehicle’s thrusters during docked operations to provide Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment data which was designed to measure disturbances to space station components and solar arrays.

After closing hatches between the two vehicles, Atlantis bid farewell to MIR for the last time at 13:28.15 EDT Oct. 3, 1997 after 5days 21hrs 30mins and 15secs of docked operations.

Landing on Oct. 5 was waved-off due to unacceptable weather at the Kennedy Space Center.

Landing occurred on Oct. 6, 1997 at 17:55 EDT, ending Atlantis’s 10day 19hr 22min 12sec mission to MIR.

This was Atlantis’s final mission before she was taken out of service for another Orbiter Modification Down Period. Atlantis would not fly again until May 2000 when she made her first trip to the International Space Station.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/ov-104atlantis-international-vehicle-changing-world/

PART III of Space Shuttle Atlantis’s tribute will be published on Monday.

(All article images  via L2 Historical’s huge collection of Hi Res (larger than desktop size, average 3mb each, many scanned and restored from hard copies) images, videos, MER reports, etc. For nearly every mission – over 500 gigabytes an growing just for the historical database.

All images used in this article are associated with the mission the article references, via L2′s image database – Click here to Join L2 http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2 ).

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...

Atlantis: the first last orbiter of the Shuttle fleet:

Construction of the 4th and originally final Space Shuttle orbiter for NASA’s fleet began on January 29, 1979 when NASA awarded the contract to build OV-104 (Orbiting Vehicle 104) to Rockwell International – the same company that received the contracts to build Enterprise (OV-101), Columbia (OV-102), Challenger (OV-099), and Discovery (OV-103).

Start of structural assembly of OV-104’s crew module began on March 30, 1980. Over a year and a half later, engineers began assembling the various manufactured components that would eventually comprise the new orbiter’s aft fuselage on November 23, 1981 – just a few days after the completion of the second flight of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).

In June 1983, the new orbiter’s tell-tale Delta wings arrived on-dock at her Palmdale, CA construction facility after shipment from the Grumman manufacturing facility in New York.

Seven months later, on December 2, 1983, engineers at Palmdale began final assembly of OV-104’s constituent parts – a procedure which was complete on April 10, 1984.

After an additional full year of end-to-end testing of all of her systems, construction was complete, and on April 6, 1985 the new Space Shuttle orbiter ATLANTIS was rolled out of her construction facility for her first moment in the public eye.

The 4th operational orbiter of NASA’s fleet, Shuttle Atlantis was named, like her sisters, after previous Earth-bound vessels of exploration. However, unlike her three operational sisters to come before her, Atlantis was named after only one ship and is the only Shuttle orbiter named after a 20th century Earth-bound sailing ship. Atlantis is also the only Shuttle orbiter named after an Earth-bound American research vessel, and is the ONLY Shuttle orbiter named after a still-in-service research vehicle.

Specifically, the orbiter Atlantis takes her name from the 1930-1966 two-mastered boat that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute of Massachusetts.

That Atlantis, built in Denmark, carried 17 crewmembers and five scientists who worked in two on-board laboratories, examining water samples and marine life. The crew of this Atlantis also used the first electronic sounding devices to map the ocean floor.

In 1966, this Atlantis was transferred from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to Argentina’s CONICET, where she was renamed El Austral and registered under the Argentine National Registry of Ships. 

By this point, the Atlantis, now El Austral, had completed nearly 300 scientific campaigns and spent a yearly average of 260 days at sea – solidifying her place as one of the most premiere scientific research vessels in history.

After service under the name El Austral, the vessel was removed from service but not retired. An extensive refit and refurbishment was then undertaken and the Atlantis’s/El Austral’s name changed to Dr. Bernardo Houssay – the man who first procured her delivery to CONICET from Woods Hole.

To this day, the Atlantis/El Austral/Dr. Bernardo Houssay is the most-traveled sea fairing vessel in the world – with more scientific research-based miles to her name than any other ship in history.

And perhaps in one of the most fitting twists of history, the newly restored Dr. Bernado Houssay was re-launched from her refit in the first step to put her back into full active service on June 29, 2011 – just 9 days before Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch on her retirement flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

Three days after Shuttle Atlantis’s rollout ceremony at Palmdale, she was transported overland to Edwards Air Force Base, CA where final preparations were made for her cross-country ferry flight – culminating in delivery to the Kennedy Space Center on April 13, 1985: 4 years and one day after the very first Shuttle flight.

Few could have expected on the day of Atlantis’s delivery to Kennedy that she would not only ALWAYS call the Kennedy Space Center home (even in her pending retirement), but also that she would be selected as the vehicle to fly the upcoming final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

Upon delivery to the Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis weighed a total of 151,315 lbs – 3.5 tons lighter than her eldest sister Columbia.

After being demated and removed from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, orbiter Atlantis was rolled from the Shuttle Landing Facility into an OPF on April 14, 1985 for initial receiving inspections and “dummy” Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) and Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod removal.

On May 10, Atlantis was moved into the VAB for storage in order to make room in one of the two OPFs for one of her sister orbiters.

On May 28, she was moved back into an OPF where receiving inspections continued and maiden voyage processing began. Atlantis was once again moved to the VAB for storage on July 18. She was returned to an OPF on July 30 where full-up pre-mission processing for her maiden voyage continued.

On August 12, Atlantis was moved to the VAB, connected to the hoisting/mating crane, lifted up, and mated to External Tank 25 (ET-25). Eighteen days later, on August 30, Atlantis and the STS-51J stack was rolled out to launch pad 39A, where final pre-launch processing began.

As is customary with any new Space Shuttle orbiter, Atlantis spent her first week at the launch pad being prepared for her Flight Readiness Firing (FRF).

On September 5, 1985, the launch control team convened and performed the standard wet countdown dress rehearsal – which culminated in the 20-second firing of Atlantis’s three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs).

The FRF was a complete success and no issues were detecting, allowing NASA managers to certify Atlantis’s Main Propulsion System (MPS) for flight.

With this test complete, preparations began in earnest for Atlantis’s launch on the STS-51J mission. At the standard Flight Readiness Review (FRR), Shuttle managers formally set Atlantis’s launch date for October 3 at 10:53 EDT.

The countdown for STS-51J began right on time and encountered no issues to speak of. On Oct. 3, the launch control team began loading of the ET with 536,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).

During the final part of the countdown, a main engine LH2 prevalve close remote power controller indicated a faulty ‘on’ condition.

The launch team quickly worked through this issue, and at 11:15.30 EDT on October 3, 1985 – just 22mins 30secs after the originally targeted launch time – the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on her maiden voyage to the cheers of a gathered crowd at Kennedy and in Titusville.

Liftoff of Atlantis on STS-51J marked her official entrance as an operational orbiter into the Space Shuttle Program and the first time that a Space Shuttle orbiter launched on her maiden voyage on the very first launch attempt.

STS-51J was the first flight of Atlantis, the 21st overall flight of the Space Shuttle Program, the 33rd space launch conducted from launch pad 39A (an ironic twist as Atlantis will end her career with 33 missions to her name), and the second completely classified Department of Defense (DoD) flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

While classified at the time, Atlantis was launched into a 28.5-degree inclination orbit.

After deploying her classified DoD payload, Atlantis returned to Earth, landing at Edwards Air Force Base, CA at 13:00.08 EDT on runway 23 on October 7.

Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on October 12 and moved directly into an OFP where post-flight deservicing and pre-flight processing took place simultaneously.

After only 26 days in the OPF, a record fast processing flow and one that was never attempted again in the history of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis was rolled to the VAB on November 7 and mated with her ET and SRB stack for STS-61B.

The entire 61B stack was rolled out to launch pad 39A on November 12, and after a flawless pad flow and countdown, Atlantis lifted off on her 2nd mission on November 26, 1985 at 07:29.00 EST.

STS-61B was the 23rd Space Shuttle mission, the second night launch of the Shuttle Program, and the 9th and final flight of 1985.  It was also the quickest turnaround of a Shuttle orbiter from launch to launch in history – just 54 days between Atlantis’s launch on STS-51J and her launch on STS-61B.

STS-61B also marked the first flight of astronaut Jerry Ross who would go on to fly five of his record seven Shuttle missions on Atlantis. The mission also carried the only person of Mexican nationality to fly in space to date.

After safely reaching orbit, Atlantis’s seven-member crew successfully deployed three communications satellites for Mexico (MORE LOS-B), Australia (AUSSAT-2), and Americom (SATCOM KU-2).

The crew also performed two spacewalks during the mission to test the assembly of erectable structures in microgravity. These two experiments were the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity and Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structure.

An IMAX camera flew in Atlantis’s payload bay to document the satellite deployments and EVAs (spacewalks) on this mission.

Middeck payloads on this flight included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System, Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions, Morelos Payload Specialist Experiments, and Orbiter Experiments.

One Getaway Special canister stored in Atlantis’s payload bay carried a Canadian student experiment involving the fabrication of mirrors in microgravity and whether they have a higher performance than ones manufactured on Earth.

Atlantis also carried with her on STS-61B a checkered racing flag for NASCAR. The flag is now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

After 6 days 21 hours 4 minutes and 49 seconds, Atlantis landed safely on concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, CA on December 3 at 16:33.49 EST. Rollout distance on landing was 10,759 feet lasting 78 seconds.

The mission landed one orbit earlier than planned due to lighting concerns at Edwards.

Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on December 7 and moved into an OPF to begin processing for her next mission in 1986.

Sadly, before Atlantis could complete processing for this mission, her sister Challenger was lost during the launch of the STS-51L mission on January 28, 1986.

In the resulting stand-down following the loss of Challenger, NASA greatly revamped its safety culture, mandating widespread and sweeping safety changes and upgrades to the Space Shuttle fleet.

As part of these changes and re-certification of parts of the Shuttle Program, Atlantis was mated to an ET/SRB set in October 1986 and rolled out to Pad-B on October 9 to fit check a new weather protection system.

During her time at the pad, countdown procedure certifications/tests and emergency egress training/rescue with a mock flight crew was conducted on November 18th (countdown) and Nov. 19th and 20th (emergency rescue).

STS-135 Specific Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-135/

Atlantis was then rolled back to the VAB on November 22, 1986 and returned to an OPF for post-Challenger safety upgrades on March 20, 1987.

Safety upgrades and pre-mission processing proceeded through 1987 and 1988. Following the successful Return to Flight STS-26 mission by sister Discovery in September/October 1988, Atlantis was moved to the VAB on Oct. 22 and mated to a redesigned/safety-improved SRB/ET stack.

Atlantis and the STS-27 stack was rolled out to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on November 2. On December 1, the launch was scrubbed due to unacceptable cloud cover and out-of-limit winds at the Kennedy Space Center.

Liftoff of Atlantis and the STS-27 mission occurred at 09:30.34 EST on December 2, 1988. It was the 3rd flight of Atlantis, the 3rd Shuttle mission dedicated completely to a classified DoD mission, the 3rd Shuttle launch from Pad-B, the 27th overall Shuttle mission, the 8th space launch from Pad-B, and the second and final Shuttle launch of 1988.

However, Atlantis’s classified payload turned out to be the least-important or concerning part of the STS-27 mission.

During standard post-launch imagery review, it was discovered that portions of ablative insulation on the right hand Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) nose cone had liberated 85 seconds after liftoff and impacted the right hand side of the Atlantis, causing significant Thermal Protection System (TPS) damage.

During the mission, the crew used Atlantis’s Shuttle Remote Manipulator System robot arm to inspect the damage. However, limited resolution and range of the cameras from the damage locations made it extremely difficult to determine the full extent of the damage. 

Further compounding the problem was the fact that the crew was unable to transmit images of the damage to the ground via normal channels because of the classified nature of the mission. Instead, the crew was forced to use a slow, encrypted transmission system that likely degraded the black and white images further and thus prevented ground engineers from realizing the true extent of the damage.

From the images transmitted, it was determined that the damage was no more severe than on previous missions.

Upon landing on December 6, 1988 at 18:36.11 EST at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, over 700 TPS tiles were found to be damage, and one tile was completely missing.

Luckily, and perhaps the only thing that prevented a burn through at the area of the missing TPS tile and the loss of Atlantis and her flight crew was the fact that the missing tile was located over a dense aluminum mounting plate for the L-band antenna – which provided some degree of “added” protection against a burn through.

To date, Atlantis is the most-damaged launch/entry vehicle to successfully return to Earth.

Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on December 13 and moved into an OPF on Dec. 14. Once there, technicians got to work removing and replacing all of the damaged TPS tiles and taking detailed inspections of Atlantis while simultaneously preparing her for her next mission: STS-30.

After three months in the OPF, Atlantis was rolled over to the VAB and mated with ET-29 and an SRB set on March 11. Eleven days later on March 22, Atlantis was rolled out to launch pad 39B.

There, the interplanetary probe Magellan was installed into Atlantis’s payload bay and the launch date set for April 28, 1989.

The launch attempt on April 28 proceeded smoothly until the T-31sec mark when the Ground Launch Sequencer refused to hand-off control of the count to Atlantis’s five General Purpose Computers (GPCs) due to a problem with the LH2 recirculation pump on SSME #1 and a vapor leak in the four-inch LH2 recirculation line between Atlantis and her ET.

The launch was scrubbed, repairs were made, and the launch reset for May 4 at 13:48 EDT.

On May 4, launch was delayed until the final five minutes of the launch window due to cloud cover and wind constraints at the Shuttle Landing Facility for RTLS (Return To Launch Site) abort consideration.

At 14:48.59 EDT on May 4, 1989, Space Shuttle Atlantis thundered off Pad-B to begin the STS-30 mission – the first inter-planetary probe deployment mission in Shuttle history and the first manned mission in history to deploy an inter-planetary probe.

Inserted into a 28.8-degree inclination orbit, Atlantis successfully deployed the Magellan probe to Venus on FD-1 (Flight Day 1) of the mission.

The Magellan spacecraft mapped over 90% of Venus’s surface and was the first inter-planetary probe launched by NASA since the Pioneer Orbiter (also to Venus) in 1978.

The Magellan craft created the first (and currently best) near-photographic quality, high resolution radar map of Venus. Magellan’s mission lasted until October 11, 1994 when its orbit was purposefully lowered to deorbit the craft into Venus’s atmosphere.

Other experiments carried by Atlantis on STS-30 – all of which had flown before – included the Mesoscale Lightning Experiment, the microgravity research with Fluids Experiment Apparatus, and the Air Force Maui Optical Site experiment.

During the mission, one of Atlantis’s five GPCs failed, necessitating its replacement with an on-board hardware spare. This marked the first time that a GPC was switched during orbital operations.

After 4 days, Atlantis touched down safely on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, CA at 15:43.27 EDT on May 8. She was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on May 15 and moved into an OPF on May 16.

She then spent the next three months processing for a nearly identical mission: STS-34 and the deployment of the Galileo inter-planetary probe to Jupiter.

Atlantis was moved to the VAB on August 21 and out to Pad-B on August 29, 1989 for an October 12 launch. The Galileo probe was installed into her payload bay in September.

On October 12, launch was delayed due to a faulty Main Engine Controller on SSME-2. The launch was reschedule for Oct. 17 but was scrubbed on this day due to RTLS weather constraints at the Kennedy Space Center.

Launch on Oct. 18 occurred at 12:53.40 EDT after a 3-minute 40-second hold at T-5mins to update Atlantis’s onboard computers for a change in the TAL (Transoceanic Abort Landing) site from Ben Guerir, Morocco to Zaragoza, Spain. The mission was the 31st of the Space Shuttle Program and the fifth for Atlantis.

After attaining a 34.3-degree 185nm orbit, Atlantis deployed the Galileo probe 6 hours 30mins into the flight – sending the probe on its way to Jupiter.

Among the Galileo probe’s numerous successes and milestones were: first asteroid flyby, discovery of the first asteroid moon, first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter and an outer planet, and first spacecraft to launch another satellite (or probe) into Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Galileo spent 14 years in space and 8 years orbiting Jupiter before it was purposefully deorbited on September 21, 2003 to avoid any chance of it accidentally contaminating Jupiter’s moons.

Aside from Galileo, Atlantis also carried the following experiments on STS-34: a Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet experiment, a Growth Hormone Crystal Distribution experiment, a Polymer Morphology experiment, the Sensor a Technology Experiment, a Mesoscale Lightning Experiment, a Shuttle Student Involvement Program experiment that investigated ice crystal formation in zero gravity, and the ground-based Air Force Maui Optical Site experiment.

During the mission, medical doctor Ellen Baker tested the effectiveness of anti-motion sickness medication in space and conducted monitoring experiments on her veins and arteries in her retinal wall to study a possible relationship between cranial pressure and motion sickness.

After 4days 23hours 39mins and 20seconds in space, Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base at 12:33.00 EDT on Oct. 23 – two orbits earlier than planned because of expected high winds at the time of the originally planned landing.

She was returned to KSC on Oct. 29 and moved into an OPF on Oct. 30. Two and half months later, she was moved to the VAB and mated with an ET/SRB stack on January 19.  The entire STS-36 stack was rolled out to Pad-A on January 25, 1990.

Launch was originally scheduled for February 22 but was delayed to Feb. 23, Feb. 24, and Feb. 25 due to an illness by one of her crewmembers and poor weather conditions.

This was the first time since Apollo 13 that a crewmember’s illness affected a mission.

Launch on February 25 was scrubbed because of a malfunctioning Range Safety computer. Launch was reset for Feb. 26 but was once again scrubbed due to poor weather conditions.

No attempt was made to launch on Feb. 27.

On Feb. 28, the launch countdown was uneventful and Atlantis lifted off at 02:50.22 EST on her 6th mission, the 6th Shuttle mission dedicated to the DoD, and the 4th night launch of the Shuttle Program.

This was the only Space Shuttle mission to be flown at an orbital inclination greater than 57-degrees – the standard maximum orbital inclination from Kennedy to ensure that the Space Shuttle does not fly over populated land masses during the launch sequence.

Given the classified nature of the STS-36 payload and the need to place the payload into a 62-degree inclination orbit (an inclination above the maximum 57-degree inclination allowed for KSC launches), special waivers were processed to accomplish land overflight during launch and a special launch trajectory was developed to minimize Atlantis’s land overflight during ascent.

This special trajectory involved launching Atlantis onto an initial 57-degree inclination orbit through SRB powered flight. After SRB separation, Atlantis’s three Main Engines gimbaled, altering Atlantis’s trajectory into a 62-inclination to the equator. The resulting maneuver carried significant vehicle performance hits for Atlantis as well as a hit to the total payload weight she could successfully lift to orbit on that mission.

This is the only instance of a Space Shuttle launching in a dog-legged trajectory, and the classified “important to National Security” payload was the only reason the land overflight rules were suspended for STS-36. The payload remains officially classified to this date.

The mission proved successful and Atlantis returned safely to Earth 4-days later, landing at Edwards Air Force Base, CA on March 4.

Post-flight inspections revealed drops of hydraulic fluid near the right main landing gear wheel well, the LH2 17-inch disconnect, and the Main Engines. All hydraulic operations were nominal throughout the hydraulic-active portions of the flight.

Atlantis was returned to Kennedy and then moved into an OPF on March 14 where she began processing for STS-38.

On June 8, she was moved to the VAB and mated with ET-40 and an SRB stack. The entire STS-38 stack was moved to the launch pad on June 18 for an originally intended July launch date.

However, an LH2 leak found on sister Columbia during the STS-35 countdown coupled with a concern that the leak problem might not be contained to Columbia and her ET prompted NASA to order three Tanking Tests on Atlantis and the STS-38 stack.

These tests took place on June 29, July 13, and July 25 of 1990 and confirmed a LH2 leak on the ET-side of the ET/Orbiter 17-inch quick disconnect umbilical and propellant line.

Since the issue could not be repaired at the launch pad, Atlantis/STS-38 was rolled back on August 9 to the VAB – the 5th rollback of a Space Shuttle stack in Program history. However, all the VAB high bays capable of receiving a Shuttle orbiter were full and Atlantis was forced to wait outside the VAB for a full day before her sister Columbia vacated the VAB during her re-rollout for launch on STS-35.

This created a once-in-a-program photo op – for which Atlantis has been a part of two of three once-in-a-program photo ops – of two fully stacked Space Shuttles side by side on the crawler way.

However, during her wait outside, Atlantis received minor hail damage from a passing thunderstorm. Once back in the VAB, Atlantis was demated from her tank and returned to the OPF for repairs on August 15.

On Oct. 2, she was once again moved to the VAB and mated with her STS-38 ET/SRB stack. During lifting operations in the VAB, a work platform inside Atlantis that should have been removed before OPF rollout fell and caused minor damage.

After the damage was repaired, Atlantis/STS-38 was rolled out to Pad-A on October 12, 1990. A mini-Tanking Test on October 24 confirmed no excessive leakage of LH2 between the Orbiter and the ET. A subsequent Flight Readiness Review set the launch date for November 9, but a payload problem postponed launch until November 15.

Atlantis lifted off on her 7th flight and the 7th Shuttle mission dedicated to the DoD on Nov. 15, 1990 at 18:48.13 EST. At liftoff, STS-38 was the 37th Space Shuttle mission and the 5th night launch of the Space Shuttle.

The mission remains classified to this day.

Landing on November 19 was waved-off due to crosswind violations at Edwards Air Force Base. On November 20, landing was diverted from Edwards, and at 16:42.42 EST, Atlantis glided to a picture-perfect landing at the Kennedy Space Center. 

It was Atlantis’s first-ever KSC landing and the first End Of Mission landing at KSC since April 1985 and the 6th overall KSC landing.

Later that day, Atlantis was moved into an OPF where she underwent four months of processing for STS-37. On March 8, she was moved to the VAB, and the entire STS-37 stack was moved to LC-39B on March 15.

The Flight Readiness Review set the mission’s launch date for April 5, 1991 at 09:18 EST. Liftoff was delayed 4mins 44secs due to low-level cloud cover. At 09:22.44 EST April 5, 1991, Atlantis lifted off on her 8th flight and the 39th mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

During the near-6day mission, Atlantis deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory – the second of the Great Observatories program – on FD-3 of the mission.

Prior to deployment of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the observatory’s high-gain antenna failed to deploy. This resulted in an unscheduled contingency EVA by Atlantis crewmembers Ross and Apt. The spacewalk was successful in manually deploying the antenna.

This was the first unscheduled EVA since April 1985. Likewise, the mission also featured the first planned EVA since November 1985. During this planned EVA, Ross and Apt tested means for astronauts to move themselves and equipment about while conducting construction and maintenance operations on then-Space Station Freedom – later the International Space Station.

Additionally, Atlantis carried Crew and Equipment Translation Aids for the scheduled six-hour spacewalk by astronauts Ross and Apt; an Ascent Particle Monitor; the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II; a Protein Crystal Growth experiment; the Bioserve/instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III; and the Air Force Maui Optical Site experiment.

Landing on April 10 was delayed one day due to adverse weather conditions at Edwards and Kennedy. Landing on April 11 occurred at 09:55.29 EDT at Edwards Air Force Base, CA.

While not obvious to TV viewers or viewers on the ground at Edwards, an incorrect call about the winds aloft created a significant underspeed for Atlantis while she rolled around HAC (Heading Alignment Circle). This resulted in an inability – despite an excellent effort on the part of Atlantis’s Commander – to reach the prescribed touchdown location on the dry lake bed at Edwards.

As a result, Atlantis touched down 623 feet shy of the runway threshold – an event which proved to not be a serious incident because Atlantis was landing on the dry lake bed runway at Edwards. For perspective, had the same thing occurred at Kennedy, Atlantis would have touched down on the 1,000ft over/under runs at the end of the runway.

After returning to the Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis spent exactly two months in the OPF before moving to the VAB on June 19 for mating with her ET/SRB stack for STS-43.

The entire vehicle was moved to LC-39A on June 25, 1991 for a July 23 launch.

A faulty integrated electronics assembly responsible for controlling orbiter/ET separation after launch forced a one day delayed to the launch.

On July 24, the launch was scrubbed approximately 5hrs before launch due to a faulty Main Engine Controller on SSME-3. The controller was removed, replaced and retested and launch reset for August 1.

On Aug. 1, launch was delayed from its scheduled 11:01 EDT time to 12:28 EDT due to an out-of-limit cabin pressure vent valve reading. Launch was eventually scrubbed due to RTLS abort weather constraints.

Liftoff of Atlantis and STS-43 finally occurred on August 2, 1991 at 11:01.59 EDT. It was the 9th flight of Atlantis, the 42nd Space Shuttle mission, and the 41st space launch from LC-39A.

During the nine day mission, Atlantis deployed TDRS-E (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite #5) into geosynchronous orbit on FD-1. Upon deployment TDRS-E became the 4th operational member of the TDRS cluster (the 2nd TDRS was lost with Shuttle Challenger in the STS-51L accident).

Over the course of the remainder of the mission, Atlantis carried numerous experiments, including the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element II; the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet instrument; Tank Pressure Control Equipment, and Optical Communications Through Windows experiment.

Moreover, Atlantis performed the Auroral Photography Experiment Protein Crystal Growth Ill experiment; the Bioserve/Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus experiment; Investigations Into Polymer Membrane Processing experiment; the Space Acceleration Measurement System experiment; the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment; the Ultraviolet Plume Imager experiment; and the Air Force Maui Optical Site experiment.

After nearly 9days in orbit, Atlantis performed the first scheduled KSC landing since STS-61C/Columbia in January 1986 – though that mission diverted to Edwards because of weather.

Atlantis landed safely on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center on August 11, 1991 at 08:23.25 EDT.

After two months in the OPF, Atlantis was moved to the VAB and mated with her ET/SRB stack for STS-44. The stack was moved to LC-39A on October 23, 1991 for a November 19 launch.

The November 19th launch date was postponed due to a malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on the Inertial Upper Stage booster attached the mission’s primary payload: the Defense Support Program satellite.

The unit was replaced and retest and launch was rescheduled for Nov. 24 at 18:31.00 EDT.  Liftoff was delayed 13 minutes to both allow for an orbiting spacecraft to pass by and to allow for ET LOX replenishment after minor repairs to a valve in the LOX replenishment system.

Liftoff of Atlantis’s 10th mission occurred at 18:44.00 EDT 24 November 1991. It was the 44th mission of the Space Shuttle Program and the first unclassified DoD mission flown by orbiter Atlantis.

During the near seven day mission, Atlantis deployed the Defense Support Program satellite.

Additional payloads and experiments included the Interim Operational Contamination Monitor; the Terra Scout; the Military Man in Space; the Air Force Maui Optical System; the Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor; the Shuttle Activation Monitor; Radiation Monitoring Equipment III; the Visual Function Tester-1; the Ultraviolet Plume Instrument, the Bioreactor Flow and Particle Trajectory experiment; and the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project, a series of investigations in support of Extended Duration Orbiter missions.

On November 30, six days into the 10-day mission, one of Atlantis’s Inertial Measurement Units failed. This mandated the immediate termination of the mission and a reshuffling of the landing location to get Atlantis home the following day.

Landing occurred on December 1, 1991 at 17:34.44 EST on runway 5 at Edwards Air Force Base. Rollout distance was 11,191 feet over 107 seconds – a prolonged rollout due to a minimal brake test.

STS-44 marked the final US-dedicated flight of Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis. Every single one of her remaining 23 missions would be dedicated to international pursuits and the cooperation of nations in space.

This, coupled with her STS-61B international satellite deployment mission, means that 24 of Atlantis’s 33 missions (counting the upcoming STS-135 flight) were dedicated to international efforts.

As such, Atlantis is the most INTERNATIONAL launch and entry vehicle in history and the third most-international space vehicle in history – coming only behind the International Space Station and the MIR space station.

After being returned to the Kennedy Space Center on December 8, Atlantis spent two months in the OPF before moving to the VAB and then out to Pad-A on February 19, 1992 for the STS-45 mission.

Liftoff on March 23 was scrubbed due to an excess amount of LH2 and LOX in her aft compartment during ET tanking operations. Troubleshooting could not re-produce the leak – leading to the conclusion that the main propulsion system was not properly thermally conditioned for the super cold propellants.

Launch of STS-45 occurred on March 24, 1992 at 08:13 EST. It was Atlantis’s 11th mission, the 46th overall Space Shuttle mission, and the 45th space launch from LC-39A.

During STS-45, Atlantis carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) on Spacelab pallets mounted in her Payload Bay. The non-deployable payload was equipment with experiments from the U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Japan.

The purpose of ATLAS-1 was to conduct studies in atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation, space plasma physics, and ultraviolet astronomy.

Six additional middeck experiments, the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet experiment, and one get-away special experiment were also flown on Atlantis on STS-45.

After 8 days 22 hours 9 minutes and 28 seconds in space, Atlantis landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center on runway 33 at 06:23 EST on 2 April 1992.

This was the last flight of the Space Shuttle Program to be conducted solely by the original orbiters in the fleet. The very next mission saw the addition of Atlantis’s only younger sister, Endeavour, to the fleet.

Atlantis continued her international trend on her next flight, STS-46 in July 1992 with a tri-national crew (American, Swiss, and Italian).

Launched right on time on 31 July 1992 at 09:56.48 EDT from LC-39B, STS-46 was the 12th flight of Atlantis, the 49th of the Shuttle Program, and the 20th space launch from Pad-B.

The mission deployed ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) EURECA (European Retrievable Carrier) and attempted to deploy the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency’s Tethered Satellite System (TSS).

ERUECA was deployed a day later than planned because of a problem with its data handling system. This caused a one day delayed to the TSS deployment as well.

During TSS deployment operations, the tethered satellite reached a maximum distance of 860 feet from Atlantis instead of the planned 12.5 miles. A jammed tether line was the cause of this problem.

Numerous attempts to fix the problem failed, and TSS operations were cancelled and the satellite stowed for reentry.

Other payloads on Atlantis during STS-46 included the Evaluation of Oxygen Integration with Materials/Thermal Management Processes experiment, the Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload, an IMAX camera, a Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure experiment, the Air Force’s Maui Optical Site experiment, a Pituitary Growth Hormone Cell Function experiment, and the Ultraviolet Plume Instrument.

The mission was extended one day to allow for the successful completion of scientific objectives. 

STS-46 also marked a major milestone in human spaceflight exploration: the 150th manned spaceflight.

After 7 days 23 hours 15 minutes and 3 seconds, Atlantis touched down on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center on August 8 at 09:11.50 EDT.

Following landing and post-mission deservicing, Atlantis was returned to Palmdale, CA for her first Orbiter Modification Down Period refurbishment. During this time, Atlantis was outfitted with the necessary equipment to allow her to dock with the Russian space station MIR and upgraded with numerous safety features.

For all intents and purposes, Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center following her OMDP on May 29, 1994 as a brand-new orbiter. She was moved into an OPF on May 30 and processed for her STS-66 mission.

During her OPF flow, her SSMEs were removed and donated to sister Endeavour following the STS-68 pad abort. This created the need to get new SSMEs for Atlantis and thus precipitated a one week delay to the launch date of STS-66.

On October 3, 1994, Atlantis was moved to the VAB and mated with her ET/SRB stack. The entire STS-66 vehicle was moved to Pad-B on October 9.

Following the landing of Endeavour/STS-68, the need to inspect Atlantis’s plumbing arose because of a water leak during the Endeavour/STS-68 landing. No issues were found.

Launch on November 3, 1994 was scheduled for 11:56 EDT. At the customary T-9min and holding “go/no go” poll, two of the three TAL abort sites were completely unacceptable due to weather and one, Ben Guerir, Morocco, was marginal on cross winds.

Since cross winds at Ben Guerir were trended better, the count was resumed at T-9mins and held at T-5mins to assess the weather conditions. After 3mins and 43secs of hold time, cross winds at Ben Guerir had dropped to within acceptable limits and a “go” to proceed was given.

At 11:59.43.060 EDT on November 3, 1994, Atlantis lifted off on the STS-66 mission. It was her 13th mission and the 66th flight of the Space Shuttle program.

STS-66 was the ATLAS-3 flight, dedicated to continuing an ongoing study of the sun’s energy output and its effects on the Earth’s climate and environment. The timing of the flight – when the Antarctic ozone hole was diminishing – allowed scientists to study possible effects of the ozone hole on mid-latitudes and the way Antarctic air recovers from such effects.

The mission also deployed and recaptured the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometer Telescope – a payload designed to study the variability of the atmosphere and provide complementary measurements to the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite from a 1991 Discovery flight.

During the recapture of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometer Telescope, a new approach method for orbiting spacecraft was tested and verified. Dubbed the R-bar approach, Atlantis’s successful test of this procedure paved the way for its implementation on the nine (9) Shuttle/MIR missions as well as numerous ISS construction flights.

STS-66 landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base, CA on November 14, 1994 at 10:33.45 EST on runway 22 after diverting there from Kennedy due to the approach of Tropical Storm Gordon to the space center.

STS-66 marked the final solo (non-rendezvous) flight of Atlantis.

All of her remaining missions would either dock to a Space Station or rendezvous with an orbiting space telescope.

PART II of III of Space Shuttle Atlantis’s tribute will be published on Sunday.

(All article images – bar sailing ship Atlantis (Sky News Italy) - are via L2′s Historical Section – a huge collection of Hi Res (larger than desktop size, average 3mb each, many scanned and restored from hard copies) images, videos, MER reports, etc. For nearly every mission – over 500 gigabytes an growing just for the historical database.

All images used in this article are associated with the mission the article references, via L2′s image database – Click here to Join L2 http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2 ).

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...

Early Release Assessments for OPF-3:

As Space Shuttle Program (SSP) flight operations draw to a close this year, NASA is beginning the full-up Transition and Retirement phase of life for its three remaining Shuttle orbiters: Discovery (OV-103), Atlantis (OV-104), and Endeavour (OV-105).

While information on where the three iconic space vehicles will be displayed for posterity following the completion of the SSP will not be announced until April 12 (the 30th anniversary of first Shuttle mission, and the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight), NASA is pressing forward with T&R processing in Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 (OPF-2) – a significant change of scenery for Discovery who has called OPF-3 home since 2005.

In fact, since Shuttle flight operations resumed in 2005, each orbiter has enjoyed her own OPF: Atlantis in OPF-1, Endeavour in OPF-2, and Discovery in OPF-3 – a rarity in the life of the program which, for a majority of its existence, operated with more orbiter than OPF.

However, put simply, all three OPFs are no longer necessary to support Shuttle operations, and with other potential customers expressing interest in using Shuttle hardware for variant vehicles (namely – though not confirmed – the US Air Force’s X-37B), NASA is moving toward an early release of OPF-3 – with handling of T&R processing of the Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour in only two OPFs.

As noted in the expansive Discussion of Early Release of OPF Bay 3 document (dated March 24, 2011), available for download on L2, “Request Space Shuttle Program concurrence for early release of OPF Bay 3 by June 1, 2011 (vs current planned date of Feb 2012).”

Additional concurrences for inclusion in the Space Shuttle Management Resource Transition (SMRT) document focused on a release of the Processing Control Center (PCC) by December 2011 and of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility (SSMEPF) by May 1, 2012.

In all, OPF-3 is located just to the northeast of conjoined OPFs 1 & 2 and shares a facility space with the SSMEPF, PCC, Communications & Tracking Station #2 (C&T 2), and the communications hub for part of the Launch Complex 39 area.

The presentation for the early release of OPF-3 partially focuses on the adjoined work stations and their vital nature to the completion of the program.

Specifically, C&T 2 “Supports integrated pad operations, launch activities, OPF Bay 3 processing, and [serves as a] backup for C&T 1 during post-mission roll in ops.” Therefore, C&T 2 must be maintained through the end of the Shuttle Program.

Likewise, the SSMEPF is where all of the Space Shuttle Main Engines are a) processed for flight and b) taken for post-flight teardowns, inspections, and evaluations. Following the completion of STS-135 and the post-mission processing of Atlantis’s SSMEs, the SSMEPF will be used to process all Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs) for T&R and display processing of the three orbiters.

To this end, the SSMEPF will need to be maintained until at least May 1, 2012 under the current RSME processing schedule for orbiter Endeavour (the orbiter which will take the longest to transition from flight status to display configuration).

Moreover, the PCC is, as noted the OPF-3 early release assessment presentation, the site for software development & validation and training simulations.

More importantly, though, the PCC is the fallback location for Firing Room personnel on launch day in the event of a Launch Control Center (LCC) evacuation. As such, the PCC cannot be released from SSP duties until (at least) the completion of post-launch securing operations for STS-135. As such, the target release date for the PCC is December 2011 – well beyond the currently planned launch for STS-135 on June 28, 2011.

However, these facilities and systems can remain operational through their needed lifecycles for the Shuttle Program even with the early release and turnover of OPF-3.

T&R Processing Impact Assessments from OPF-3 Early Release:

While the early release of OPF-3 is feasible from a facilities standpoint, its possible impacts on T&R processing of Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour could have proved more costly and time-consuming than simply keeping the OPF in operation.

To evaluate potential T&R timeline and cost impacts from the potential early release of OPF-3, the investigation team assembled two integrated T&R flow timelines: one with all three OPFs in use, and a second utilizing only OPFs 1 & 2.

TIMELINE #1:

Under timeline #1 (all three OPFs in service), Discovery would perform her DMP (Down Mission Processing) in OPF-2 before being moved to OPF-3 for all T&R work. T&R work would proceed in OPF-3 from late-April 2011 through January 2012, with Discovery’s FRCS (Forward Reaction Control System) and OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) pods returned from White Sands, New Mexico for display installation on Discovery in late-October 2011.

In all, Discovery would be ready for ferry to her display site in early February 2012, with OPF-3 safing, T&R, and release occurring between February and October 30, 2012.

Atlantis would then be the next vehicle ready to ferry to her display site, despite the fact that she will be the last orbiter to fly and will fly at least two months after sister Endeavour.

Here, Atlantis would undergo DMP and T&R operations in OPF-1 from mid -July 2011 through late-May 2012. The FRCS and OMS pods originally from Endeavour’s STS-134 mission would be returned from White Sands for display site installation onto Atlantis in late-Feb. 2012. She would then be ready for ferry to her display site in mid-June 2012.

Conversely, Endeavour would undergo her STS-134 DMP and prolonged T&R work in OPF-2 from May 2011 through late-September 2012. The FRCS and OMS pods originally from Atlantis’s STS-135 mission would be returned from White Sands in late-June 2012 for display site installation onto Endeavour.

Endeavour would then be ready for transport to her display location in mid-October 2012.

Full-scale integrated safing and T&R work on OPFs 1 & 2 would then take place through May 2013.

TIMELINE #2:

Under timeline #2 (early release of OPF-3 on June 1, 2011), Discovery would remain in OPF-2 (where she currently resides) until late-April. At this point, she would be moved to VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) HB (High Bay) 4 for storage.

Endeavour, landing in early May from STS-134, would then be towed into OPF-2 for initial DMP and post-flight safing.

Atlantis would then be rolled to the VAB for mating with her ET/SRB (External Tank/Solid Rocket Booster) stack in late-May, thereby vacating OPF-1. Once this is completed, Discovery would be rolled into OPF-1 in early June 2011 for complete T&R work.

Endeavour would then be moved into VAB HB 4 for storage in early July 2011 ahead of the landing of Atlantis on STS-135. Endeavour would then remain in storage in the VAB from July 2011 through February 2012.

Following landing in early/mid-July 2011, Atlantis would be towed into OPF-2 for DMP and complete T&R work from July 2011 through late-May 2012 – the same timeframe as timeline #1.

OPF-3 modification and T&R work would be completed by July 31, 2011.

In OPF-1 Discovery’s FRCS and OMS pods would be returned from White Sands for display site installation in late-October 2011.

T&R teams at the Kennedy Space Center would then complete all T&R work on Discovery in late-January 2012, with Discovery ready for ferry to her display site in mid-February 2012 – the same timeframe under timeline #1.

A few days after the rollout and ferry of Discovery out of Kennedy, Endeavour would be removed from the VAB and moved into OPF-1 where her T&R processing would begin.

Meanwhile, Endeavour’s FRCS and OMS pods would be returned to the Kennedy Space Center for installation onto Atlantis in mid-/late-February 2012. Atlantis would complete all T&R work in late-May 2012 and be ferried to her display site in early-/mid-June 2012 (the same timeframe as timeline #1).

At this time, limited T&R work would begin on OPF-2.

Meanwhile, Endeavour would be continuing with her T&R processing, with Atlantis’s FRCS and OMS pods returned to Kennedy for installation to her (Endeavour) in mid-June 2012. Endeavour herself would wrap up T&R processing by September 30, 2012 and be transported to her display building in early-/mid-October 2012.

At this point, full-scale T&R and release work would begin on OPFs 1 & 2, with complete OPF release in May 2013.

Final Program Assessments and Recommendations:

Of course, both timelines #1 and #2 assume the display museums for Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour are fully ready to receive their orbiter upon completion of orbiter-specific T&R work.

Under Timeline #2, all DMP and safing would occur in OPF-2 with all T&R work occurring in OPFs 1 & 2.

Therefore, with timeline milestones for the three vehicles identical in both timelines, the release of OPF-3 in June 2011 does not hinder the T&R timelines.

As noted in the OPF-3 early release presentation, “Overall T&R timelines maintained within current baseline. Vehicle timelines dependent on critical path POD/FRCS processing.”

However, on-going assessment of FRCS and Pod work at White Sands, including potential get-wells in those processing schedules, could drive OPF processing into the critical path for all T&R work. But these “time deltas” would not be significant and “would not result in improvement of overall T&R timelines.”

While KSC ground transition teams might require “1 month past June 2011 to complete facility T&R,” this work could potentially be accomplished in parallel with “new customer work.”

Moreover, there would be no budget increase for T&R work as a result of the early release of OPF-3, with “Potential cost savings and/or cost avoidance under review due to potential reduction in facility safing requirements planned under current Ground Ops T&R plan.”

Therefore, the OPF-3 early release investigative team found “No T&R risk … to baseline cost or schedule with early release of OPF Bay 3.”

But the cost assessment and T&R timeline impacts were not the only factors that came under consideration for OPF-3′s release; NASA also studied the impacts to T&R and mission processing should either Endeavour and/or Atlantis suffer a de-stacking and rollback to the OPF prior to their launches on STS-134 and STS-135, respectively.

“Rollback/demates, RTLS (Return to Launch Site) aborts, and early landings scenarios [are] accommodated with two OPF bays and VAB HB4″ for all scenarios involved with having more Shuttle orbiters than available OPFs due in large part to previous Ground Ops experience base during the 1990s and early 2000s when there were 4 vehicles and 3 OPFs.

 To this end, all Ground Operations Risk Assessments (GORA) have been completed and no increase in risk was identified that “could be mitigated.”

Provisions are in place to maintain SSMEPF and C&T 2 through the flyout of the Shuttle manifest. The SSMEPF will be maintained through T&R RSME installations, with C&T 2 released post-STS-135 OPF roll-in ops.

Furthermore, as noted by the OPF-3 early release presentation, “Increased risk from losing OPF Bay 3 environmental controlled storage areas mitigated with usage of other storage locations. Increase risk identified for potential interruption of the C&T lab and SSMEPF mitigated by limiting modifications done during this overlap period between turnover and last flight.”

Likewise, VAB HB4 will be preserved through at least the first orbiter flyout to display location with minimal effort to prepare for orbiter storage.  Forward and Aft access for Discovery and Endeavour will be available during VAB storage (if needed), as will vehicle purge, jacking and leveling, and minimal power-up.

Hydraulic ops and major hazardous operations will not be allowed during VAB storage for OV-103 and OV-105.

Therefore, the investigative team identified no shuttle manifest flyout issues with the early release of OPF-3.

As such, concurrence from the SSP has been solicited for the early release of OPF-3 on June 1, 2011 pending approval of the OPF-3 SMRT document.

The release of the SSMEPF (target date: May 1, 2012) has also been solicited, with forward work to determine storage requirements & relocation funding for existing SSME stock and future GSE (Ground Support Equipment) & associated schedules with the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Release of the PCC in December 2011 was also recommended to the SSP.

(Further articles will follow, as we follow Discovery all the way to the exhibition. L2 members refer to L2′s ongoing coverage sections for internal coverage, presentations, images and and updates from engineers and managers. Images used: Lead: Brian Papke/MaxQ Entertainment/NASASpaceflight.com. All other images via L2, bar SSME photo from NASA.gov).

Related posts:

1. STS-125 launch target moves to February 17 – crucial week for Hubble STS-125 has been given a new “work-to” launch date of...
2. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...

FD-02 Update/Preview:

Following a flawless countdown – in which only three issues were worked over the entire 73-hour count – Atlantis launched into orbit right on time on her first attempt yesterday afternoon.

Following her arrival on orbit, Atlantis’ Flight Crew completed checkout of Atlantis’ Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS — robot arm), performed the first of several planned course correction burns to further align Atlantis’ approach to the International Space Station, and successfully deployed and activated the Ku Band antenna.

At the end of FD-1 (Flight Day 1), all External Tank (ET) imagery from Atlantis’ umbilical well cameras and crew video of the ET had been downlinked to the ground for review by imagery experts and the ET community (50mb of hi res ET images available on L2).

Overall, all indications are – at this time – that External Tank 136 performed very well during ascent, with only a few small foam liberations visible via the live TV feed from the ET camera during launch.

For FD-2 today, Atlantis’s crew will devote most of their time to the now-standard inspections of Atlantis’ RCC (Reinforced Carbon-Carbon) Wing Leading Edge panels and nose cap, T0 umbilicals, upper flight surfaces, and OMS pods.

Furthermore, Atlantis’ Orbiter Docking Ring will be extended and prepared for docking operations to the ISS on Sunday morning. The Centerline camera will also be activated today for docking tomorrow and a rendezvous tools checkout will be completed by the Flight Crew.

Atlantis’ crew will also perform at least two NC course correction burns to further refine Atlantis’ approach to the ISS.

STS-132 Specific Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/sts-132/

OV-104 Atlantis: 25 Years of International and Planetary History:

Conceived as the fourth of the original four orbiters in NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet, the contract for construction of orbiter OV-104, later named “Atlantis” during her construction process, was awarded to the Rockwell International company on January 29, 1979.

Named after the RV Atlantis, a two-masted sailing ship that operated as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute from 1930 to 1966, construction of Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis began on March 30, 1980 with the start of structural assembly for OV-104′s Crew Module.

Start of structural assembly of Atlantis’ aft fuselage followed on November 23, 1981; her tell-tale delta wings were later delivered to Palmdale from Grumman on June 13, 1983.

Final assembly of Atlantis at Palmdale picked up on December 2, 1983 and lasted through April 10, 1984. The extensive process of attaching Atlantis’ Thermal Protection System tiles and RCC panels followed during the course of the next year.

Finally, almost four years to the day after construction of Atlantis began, the then-youngest orbiter of NASA’s fleet rolled out of her construction facility at Palmdale on March 6, 1985 with a total birth weight of 151,315 lbs – 3.5 tons lighter than sister Columbia.

One month later, she was transported overland from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base on April 3 where she was mounted atop a modified 747 aircraft. Ten days later, Atlantis was arrived home at the Kennedy Space Center for the first time on April 13, 1985.

Atlantis was removed from the top of the 747 and rolled into an OPF (Orbiter Processing Facility) at KSC on April 14. On May 10, she was temporarily moved into VAB High Bay 4 for storage to allow one of her sister orbiters use of the OPF she had occupied.

On May 28, she was moved back into an OPF before transferring back to the VAB for storage on July 18. Atlantis was once again moved back to an OPF on July 30 for final pre-mission horizontal processing.

On August 12, Atlantis was rolled over to the VAB for mating to her External Tank and SRB stack.  Then, after 18 days of vertical testing with her ET/SRB stack, Atlantis and the STS-51-J stack rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on August 30.

As is customary with new orbiters, Atlantis underwent a wet countdown dress rehearsal ending with a 20-second static firing of her three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) in what is known as a Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) on September 12.

The success of that FRF paved the way for Atlantis to launch on the first attempt on her maiden flight on October 3, 1985 with only a 22-minute 30-second delay due to a SSME Liquid Hydrogen pre-valve close remote power controller showing a faulty “on” indication.

Atlantis embarked on her first mission at 11:15:30a.m. EDT October 3, 1985 from Pad-A and MLP-2 under the power of three SSMEs (S/Ns (1)-2011, (2)-2019, (3)-2017) powered by 500,000 gallons of LH2 and LO2 from ET-25/LWT-18, and two SRBs (BI-021)/SRM: L021(HPM).

(*Atlantis’ final flight – STS-132 – launch from Pad-A and MLP-2 with one SRB casing segment that also flew with her on STS-51-J.)

After 4-days in space (and 64 orbits of Earth) on a then-classified Department of Defense mission (the 2nd DoD mission in Shuttle history), Atlantis and her five member crew returned safely to Earth at 13:00:08p.m. EDT on October 7 with a gentle landing on runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Rollout distance on Atlantis’ first flight was 8,056 feet over a 65-second period.

Atlantis was returned to the Kennedy Space Center on October 11 and moved into an OPF for post-flight deserving and pre-flight processing on October 12. She spent only 26-days in the OPF before being rolled over to the VAB on November 7 and out to Pad-A on November 12 for the STS-61-B mission that launched on November 26.

As such, Atlantis holds the record for shortest launch-to-launch time (54-days from STS-51-J to STS-61-B) as well as shortest time in an OPF between flights.

Before Atlantis could embark on her 3rd flight, the Space Shuttle Program was grounded following the in-flight breakup of her sister Challenger on the STS-51-L mission.

During the two year hiatus, Atlantis was outfitted with numerous safety upgrades to improve Flight Crew safety and vehicle flight performance.

After Shuttle flights resumed in September 1988, Atlantis flew on her 3rd flight on the STS-27 DoD mission launching December 2, 1988 at 09:30:34 EST from Pad-B – Atlantis first launch from Pad-B.

The STS-27 mission for Atlantis also holds a poignant meaning for the Space Shuttle Program as Atlantis became the most-damaged orbiter to return safely from space.

During liftoff on December 2, ablative insulating material from the right-hand Solid Rocket Booster nose cap liberated at T+85-seconds and impacted Atlantis’ starboard chine near the Wing Leading Edge.

On-orbit inspection of the debris strike area (a debris event that was visible from ground-based tracking cameras during launch) were hindered by the inability of the crew to use standard downlink channels because of the classified nature of the mission. As such, NASA determined that Atlantis’ damage was not severe.

Upon landing at Edwards Air Force Base, it was discovered that over 700 tiles were damaged and one tile was completely missing. The missing tile was located over a dense aluminum mounting plate for the L-band antenna – a mounting plate that went a long way toward preventing a burn-through during reentry.

Atlantis spent three months in the OPF undergoing TPS repairs and turnaround operations before rolling out to the Launch Pad-B in late-March for the STS-30 mission (May 4, 1989) that deployed the Magellan spacecraft to Venus — a spacecraft that mapped over 90% of Venus’ surface and was the first interplanetary probe launched by NASA since Pioneer Orbiter (also to Venus) in 1978.

The Magellan craft created the first (and currently best) near-photographic quality, high resolution radar map of Venus. Magellan’s mission lasted until October 11, 1994 when its orbit was purposefully lowered to deorbit the craft into Venus’ atmosphere.

Atlantis was then turned around from May 16 to August 21 for the STS-34 mission, yet another planetary probe deployment flight. Launching on October 18, 1989 at 12:53:40 EDT, Atlantis embarked on a 4-day mission to deployed the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter.

Among the Galileo probe’s numerous successes and milestones were: first asteroid flyby, discovery of the first asteroid moon, first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter, and first spacecraft to launch another satellite (or probe) into Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Galileo spent 14-years in space and 8-years orbiting Jupiter before it was purposefully deorbited on September 21, 2003 to avoid any chance of it accidentally contaminating Jupiter’s moons.

Following STS-34, Atlantis was turned around again and prepared for the STS-36 flight on February 28, 1990 – a flight recorded in history as the only dog-leg ascent in Shuttle Program history.

Given the classified nature of the STS-36 payload, and the need to place the payload in a 62-degree inclination orbit (an inclination above the maximum 57-degree inclination allowed for KSC launches due to U.S. land overflight rules), special waivers were processed to accomplish the land overflight and a special launch trajectory was developed to minimize Atlantis’ overflight of land during ascent.

This special trajectory involved launching Atlantis onto an initial 57-degree inclination through SRB powered flight. After SRB separation, Atlantis’ three Main Engines gimbaled, altering Atlantis’ trajectory into a 62-inclination to the equator.

The resulting maneuver carried significant vehicle performance hits for Atlantis as well as a hit to the total payload weight she could successfully lift of orbit on that mission.

Nonetheless, the mission was a success and Atlantis returned safely to Earth 4-days later.

Atlantis’ next flight was STS-38 and a classified Department of Defense mission. The mission was delayed and rolled back to the VAB after an initial pad flow due to the Hydrogen leaks that plagued the Shuttle fleet in 1990. During rollback, Atlantis was parked outside of the VAB for one day before her sister Columbia could be rolled out of the VAB high bay Atlantis was destined for. This created a once-in-a-program photograph when the full-up Atlantis (STS-38) and Columbia (STS-35) vehicle stacks were photographed side-by-side on the crawler-way.

Atlantis’ 8th flight in April 1991 deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory – the second of the Great Observatories program. Joining the Hubble Space Telescope, Compton was later joined by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope to round out the program.

Atlantis was then called upon for STS-43 to launch the 4th Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E) in August 1991. Atlantis followed this with the classified DoD STS-44 mission in November 1991.

Atlantis then flew the STS-45 mission in March 1992 which carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) on Spacelab pallets mounted in her Payload Bay. The mission was Atlantis’ first of many international missions, flying experiments from the U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Japan.

Atlantis continued the international trend on her next flight, STS-46 in July 1992 with a tri-national crew (American, Swiss, and Italian). The mission deployed ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) EURECA (European Retrievable Carrier) and attempted to deploy the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency’s Tethered Satellite System (TSS). STS-46 also marked a major milestone in human spaceflight exploration: the 150th manned spaceflight.

Following this mission, Atlantis was returned to Palmdale for an Orbiter Modification Down Period refurbishment. During this time, Atlantis was outfitted with the necessary equipment to allow her to dock with the Russian space station MIR.

Atlantis returned to the active service in November 1994 with the STS-66 flight of ATLAS-3 to continue an ongoing study of the sun and its affects on the Earth’s climate and environment. The mission also marked verification of a new approach method for orbiting spacecraft. Dubbed the R-bar approach, Atlantis’ successful test of this procedure paved the way for its implementation on the nine (9) Shuttle/MIR missions as well as the numerous ISS construction flights.

STS-66 further marked Atlantis’ last non-rendezvous/solo flight as all her subsequent missions either docked to a Space Station or rendezvoused and grappled an orbiting space telescope.

Following STS-66 Atlantis was called upon seven-straight times for the first seven (7) of the nine (9) total Shuttle/MIR docking missions.

Launching on June 27, 1995, the STS-71 mission marked the fruition of one of the Space Shuttle’s original goals of rendezvousing with and servicing an orbiting space station.

The 10-day international and historic mission created the largest spacecraft ever placed into orbit at the same time (to that date), saw the first ever on-orbit crew changeout, and marked the 100th U.S. manned spaceflight since Alan Sheppard’s Mercury I flight.

The mission also produced the iconic photograph of Atlantis docked to MIR taken by the MIR 19 crew in their Soyuz spacecraft who undocked from MIR 15-minutes before Atlantis’ Independence Day undocking at 07:10 EDT.

Atlantis’ following flight, STS-74 in November 1995 delivered the Russian-built MIR Docking Module to the station — the docking port that would be used on the subsequent 7 Shuttle/MIR missions – as well as a new pair of solar arrays to MIR.

STS-76 in March 1996 marked another first, when astronauts Linda Goodwin and Michael Clifford became the first two people to perform an EVA (Spacewalk) around two docked spacecraft.

Later that year, Atlantis became the first Space Shuttle orbiter to dock with the fully completed MIR space station during STS-79. The mission further marked the first U.S. crew rotation on the Russian vehicle and returned Shannon Lucid from MIR after 188-days in space.

The mission further marked the first time the SPACEHAB module was flown in a double module configuration; Atlantis also tested a new orbital reboost/deboost technique (after undocking) ahead of the planned implementation of the new reboost procedure on the STS-82 mission (by Discovery) to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Atlantis’ following flight (STS-81 – January 1997) heralded the return to Earth of the first plants to undergo a complete life cycle in space as well as tested a new stabilization system for on-orbit treadmills that was later incorporated into the Russian segment of the International Space Station.

Likewise, Atlantis was utilized as a test-bed on STS-84 in May 1997 during undocking from MIR when she tested a proposed European Space Agency rendezvous system for what became the Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station.

Finally, Atlantis’ 7th and final visit to MIR (STS-86 in September 1997) marked the first U.S./Russian joint EVA and the final flight of Atlantis before she was once again temporarily taken out of service for an Orbiter Modification Down Period.

During this OMDP, Atlantis received all the necessary upgrades to enable her to fly construction missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

Atlantis, during this OMDP, also became the first orbiter in NASA’s fleet of four orbiters to receive the new glass cockpit – a cockpit that features electronic instrument displays instead of mechanical gauges.

The OMDP, and subsequent delays to ISS construction and bad weather during the initial launch window in April, took Atlantis out of service until May 2000 when she launched on the STS-101/2A.2a resupply mission to the ISS… a flight that marked the first time an orbiter flew with the glass cockpit.

The mission marked the assembly of the Strela crane on ISS, installation of additional handrails on the outside of the ISS (Unity and Zarya), and the set up of the center-line camera cable (a future vital part of ISS/Shuttle docking operations).

Upon post-flight inspection of Atlantis after STS-101, it was discovered that a damaged tile seam allowed superheated plasma from reentry to enter the vehicle’s left wing. The gas did not penetrate deeply into the wing structure and all the damage was repair before Atlantis’ next flight, the STS-106 flight in September 2000 that delivered tons of supplies to the still un-crewed ISS and paved the way for the arrival of Expedition 1 to the ISS in the fall of 2000.

During STS-106, the 50th spacewalk in Space Shuttle Program history was conducted by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Dr. Ed Lu.

Atlantis’ next flight, STS-98 on February 7, 2001 marked the much-anticipated arrival of the U.S. Destiny laboratory to the ISS and brought forth the 100th Spacewalk in U.S. spaceflight history.

Atlantis quickly followed the success of STS-98 with the delivery of the Quest Airlock to the ISS on STS-104 in July 2001. Delivery, installation, and activation of the Quest Airlock marked the transfer to the ISS from the Space Shuttle of primary ISS EVA egress and ingress access. The mission also marked the first use of Quest for an ISS assembly EVA (spacewalk #3 of the mission).

Atlantis was then called on to deliver the S0 truss to the ISS on the STS-110 flight in April 2002 – the truss segment that forms the backbone the Integrated Truss Structure on the ISS. Launch of Atlantis on STS-110 marked the first use of the new Block II SSMEs (Space Shuttle Main Engines) which featured an improved fuel pump with stronger integral shafts/disks and more robust bearings.

Launch of Atlantis on STS-110 was also marked the first time that one person flew into space seven (7) times – astronaut Jerry Ross (who flew five of his seven flights on Atlantis).

Likewise, Atlantis was called on to deliver the next segment of the Integration Truss Structure on STS-112 in October 2002. This flight marked the first time a camera was placed on the LOX Feedline of the External Tank (ET) looking down over the ET’s Ice Frost Ramps and PAL (Protuberance Air Load) ramp – a safety feature that would become mandatory three flights later.

Atlantis was then prepared for flight on the STS-114 mission in March 2003; however, breakup of sister orbiter Columbia on February 1, 2003 during atmospheric reentry over Texas once again grounded the Space Shuttle Program. Atlantis, along with her two surviving sisters, was upgraded with the suggested CAIB (Columbia Accident Investigation Board) recommendations before being chosen as the Return to Flight orbiter for mission STS-114.

However, a problem with Atlantis’ landing gear forced NASA to remove Atlantis from the STS-114 flight and assign her to the Launch On Need rescue flight for STS-114 and the primary vehicle for the second Return to Flight mission: STS-121.

After a large piece of foam liberated from the External Tank during STS-114′s launch, the Shuttle fleet was again grounded and – because of the lengthy delay – Atlantis was removed from assignment for the STS-121 mission.

Again, Atlantis was given Launch On Need rescue duty for STS-121 while retaining her assignment to STS-115.

Following the successful flight of STS-121, Atlantis was stacked with her ET/SRBs and launched (after numerous weather and technical delays) for the first time in four (4) years on September 9, 2006 on a mission that delivered the P3/P4 truss and a new set of solar arrays to the ISS.

During STS-115, Atlantis’ flight crew demonstrated the new safety equipment made mandatory after the Columbia accident when they scanned the underbelly of Atlantis to ensure that all TPS (Thermal Protection System) tiles were intact after unidentifiable co-orbital debris was spotted near Atlantis the previous day.

Atlantis was called on once again during STS-117 to deliver a mirrored truss to P3/P4 – the S3/S4 truss and solar arrays – to the ISS.

Following a lengthy launch delay to repair over 2,000 divots in Atlantis’ External Tank after a severe hail storm at the launch pad, the STS-117 mission was flown in June 2007. Lasting 13-days, 20-hours, 12-minutes, and 44-seconds it is Atlantis’ longest flight to date spanning 219 orbits of Earth and 5.8 million miles.

Atlantis followed her longest flight with the STS-122 mission. Launching exactly seven (7) years to the day after STS-98, STS-122 delivered the first Laboratory to ISS since Destiny (STS-98).

STS-122 on Atlantis marked the beginning of construction of the International partner laboratories with the deliver of the European Space Agency’s Columbus research module to the ISS.

STS-122 also marked the celebration of NASA’s 50th anniversary and the resolution of the ECO (Engine Cut Off) sensor problem that had plagued the Shuttle fleet since the STS-114 Return to Flight mission in 2005.

Following STS-122, Atlantis was prepared for what is arguably her most important mission in service to the Space Shuttle Program and the international community – the STS-125 mission to service, upgrade, and extend the life of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Originally, targeting launch in October 2008, STS-125 was delayed to May 2009 due to the failure of a critical component on the Telescope and the desire to fly a replacement component up on Atlantis – the last upgrade mission to Hubble.

Launch of Atlantis and the STS-125 mission represented a tremendous undertaking on the part of NASA and remains a shining example of the work and dedication to safety that NASA upholds on a daily basis.

With Endeavour standing by on Pad-B in case Atlantis’ crew required rescue, Atlantis and the STS-125 mission lifted off right on time on the first launch attempt at 14:01:56 EDT May 11, 2009. After rendezvousing with the Hubble Telescope, Atlantis’ astronauts performed five back-to-back spacewalks – completing EVERY SINGLE complex and delicate mission objective and returning the Hubble Telescope to full operating capability.

Despite initial thoughts in 2006 and 2007 that STS-125 would mark the end of Atlantis’ service to the Space Shuttle Program, NASA managers were able to strike a good balance between safety and schedule by instituting two mini-OMDPs on Atlantis between STS-125 and STS-129 (and 129 and 132) to allow her to fly through the end of the Shuttle manifest in 2010.

These mini-OMDPs (or periods of inspection of critical components on Atlantis to ensure safety on her two added flights) enabled NASA to hand Atlantis two flights following STS-125: STS-129 and STS-132.

However, during post-flight turnaround from STS-125, a knob from a light fixture was found to be wedge in between Atlantis’ Pilot’s console and the inner pressure pane window of the Pilot’s window.

An extensive effort to remove the knob was undertaken and eventually proved successful. However, the pressure pane was found to be damaged. Further analysis showed that the damage was not significant and would not interfere or impinge on safety margins during flight. As such, a costly and extensive pressure pane replacement – which has never occurred at the Kennedy Space Center – was avoided (a replacement that could have removed Atlantis from service for 6-months or one year or all together).

Following resolution of this issue, Atlantis flew the highly successful STS-129 mission in November 2009 which served as the first major effort to pre-position thousands of pounds of external spare parts on the ISS before the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet.

During ground processing of Atlantis for STS-129, a record LOW number of 54 IPRs (problem reports) were recorded on Atlantis, shattering the old record of ~70 IPRs set by sister Discovery.

Discovery later reclaimed the record with only 47 IPRs during her ground flow toward STS-131.

However, Atlantis regained the record with only 46 IPRs recorded during her ground flow toward her final mission: STS-132.

In fact, Atlantis’ excellent behavior during her final launch countdown drew high praise from Alexey Krasnov, Chief of Piloted Programs Directorate, Roscosmos. During the post-launch news conference, Krasnov remarked that Atlantis was screaming, “use me again!”

Launching yesterday afternoon, Atlantis embarked on her 32nd and final mission (save the STS-335 Launch On Need rescue flight for STS-134) to space after a glorious 25 year career that included more international missions (be they science missions, MIR dockings, Hubble Telescope upgrades, or ISS assembly flights) than U.S. domestic flights.

In all 23 of Atlantis’ 32 flights have been international missions, making her the “most international” orbiter in the Space Shuttle Program.

Atlantis has served the Space Shuttle Program extremely well in her 25 years. She has deployed two interplanetary probes, deployed 12 satellites, conducted 7 straight dockings with the Russian MIR space station, serviced the Hubble Telescope once, and conducted 11 International Space Station construction flights (included STS-132).

Her service is one that could not have been done without, and one that has paved the way for unprecedented international cooperation both now and for the future of space exploration.

*Historical images via L2′s collection of 1000′s of hi res images in L2 Historical, many previously unseen.

Related posts:

1. Dual flow ballet for Endeavour and Atlantis – De-stack debate Preliminary milestone schedules have been created for the complex dual...
2. Atlantis to rollback to VAB on October 20 – Hubble troubleshooting latest As NASA and the SSP (Space Shuttle Program) refine their...