The space shuttle Atlantis is a space shuttle of NASA . Named after the first American oceanographic research vessel Atlantis , it was completed in April 1984 and made its maiden flight in October 1985 ( STS-51-J ). The internal name of the orbiter is OV-104 . Her last mission ended on July 21, 2011.
From 1995 to 1997, the Atlantis was used exclusively for flights to the Russian Mir space station as part of the Shuttle Mir program , for which it was equipped with a coupling adapter of Russian design.
On July 8, 2011, she started her 33rd and final mission. It transported provisions, material and technology for experiments to the ISS and brought the Raffaello logistics module back to earth. On July 21, 2011, punctually at 11:57 CEST , she touched down safely on runway 15 of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA) . Their landing ended the era of shuttle flights. The program last cost about $ 775 million per mission.
Since the end of the American shuttle program, the space shuttle has been exhibited as a museum piece in the visitor center of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In total, the Atlantis has covered more than 193 million kilometers in its 25 years of service.
construction
The Atlantis benefited from experience building and testing the Enterprise , Columbia and Challenger . When completed, it weighed around 3,200 kilograms less than the Columbia. In addition, the experience gained in shuttle construction reduced working hours by 49.5 percent (compared to the Columbia). This is mainly due to the use of heat shield ceilings on the upper part of the orbiter instead of small tiles.
During the construction of the Discovery and Atlantis, NASA decided to have "structural replacement parts" made to facilitate repairs in the event of an accident. The contract was valued at $ 389 million and included parts for the aft and middle fuselages, as well as anterior fuselage halves, vertical rudders, wings and flaps. These spare parts were later used for the Endeavor .
Numerous improvements and adjustments were made to the Atlantis between November 1997 and July 1999 in Palmdale , California. Among other things, the orbiter was equipped with a braking parachute and a glass cockpit , new pipes and cabling were installed and over 800 heat protection tiles and ceilings were replaced.
In the book Space Camp (German title: Ferien im Weltraum) and the film of the same name from 1986, Atlantis plays a central role.
In the film Deep Impact , the crew is brought with the Atlantis to the Messiah spaceship, which is parked in orbit.
In the film Armageddon - The Last Judgment , Atlantis explodes due to an asteroid that hits the asteroid belt and then bombs Earth's orbit with mini meteorites.