Yesterday was a noteworthy day for the United States and those interested in the space program. We always remember the anniversary of the first Moon landing. Today, July 21 happens to also be a noteworthy day in the field of space exploration. It\u2019s almost as signifiant at the Moon landing, but much sadder, and it also involves a landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On July 21, 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center. It was the final flight of NASA\u2019s space shuttle program. The final shuttle mission was STS-135.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atlantis was the fourth shuttle built and obviously the last one to fly into space. It was in service for 25 years and flew 33 missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atlantis was named after a ship that did work for Massachusetts\u2019 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute between 1930 and 1966. That sailing ship was the first to image the ocean floor using electronic sounding devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atlantis had an impressive list of accomplishments during it\u2019s lifetime, including being the last shuttle to visit the Hubble Space Telescope. During a mission in May of 2009, the Atlantis crew made 5 spacewalks to repair and add equipment to the Hubble.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first flight of Atlantis was October 3-7, 1985 (STS-51J) \u2014 it\u2019s last flight was July 8-21, 2011 (STS-135.) During it\u2019s 33 missions, Atlantis spent 306 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds in space.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To this day, Atlantis\u2019 first flight is shrouded in secrecy. We know that mission STS-51J took five people into space and lasted four days \u2014 the payload was, obviously, classified. Today\u2019s anniversary marks the end of an era and the last time a spaceship landed in Florida. RIP Atlantis \u2014 you had a good run.
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Yesterday was a noteworthy day for the United States and those interested in the space program. We always remember the anniversary of the first Moon landing. Today, July 21 happens to also be a noteworthy day in the field of … Continue reading