Atlantis space shuttle
 

The Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis landing in 1997
 
Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of five NASA space shuttles. She was the fourth operational shuttle built and after February 2003 is one of only three shuttles remaining in the fleet.

Atlantis was named in honour of the first United States oceanographic research vessel, a two-masted sailing ship operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1930 to 1966, as well as the mythical island of Atlantis.

As the fourth shuttle, Atlantis benefited from experience gained in the construction of her three predecessors. On roll-out, she weighed nearly 7,000 lb (3 t) less than the first operational shuttle, Columbia, and required about half the time to build. Structural spare parts also built along with Atlantis were used in the later construction of the fifth shuttle, Endeavour.

Atlantis made her first flight in October 1985, conducting classified military activities, one of five such flights. In 1989, Atlantis deployed two planetary probes, Magellan and Galileo, and in 1991, she deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.

Beginning in 1995, Atlantis made seven straight flights to the Soviet space station Mir. On the second Mir flight, she delivered a docking module, and on the subsequent flights, she conducted astronaut exchanges.

From November 1997 to July 1999, Atlantis underwent refitting operations, with about 165 modifications made to the shuttle, including the installation of the Multifunction Electronic Display System, or glass cockpit. She has made six flights since then, all involving assembly activities at the International Space Station.

In her most recent flight, in October 2002, Atlantis and her six-person crew completed an 11-day mission to the International Space Station that involved three space walks.

NASA scheduled the 27th launch for Atlantis for September 2005, during the window of September 9 - 24. It was ruled unsafe to fly the mission and the launch window was missed, due to the complications during Discovery's launch of mission STS-114 and NASA's subsequent suspension of all future shuttle launches. She was the designated STS-300 rescue orbiter for the STS-114 mission. Atlantis was scheduled to fly the STS-121 mission, but it was decided that Discovery would fly the mission instead.

NASA Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale told Kennedy Space Centre employees in mid-February 2006 that the Atlantis would be retired sometime in 2008 and would be used to supply parts for Discovery and Endeavour through the anticipated close of the Space Shuttle program in 2010. [1] Atlantis was chosen for early retirement to avoid a costly overhaul process that was slated to begin in 2008.
 
Flights
 
Space Shuttle Atlantis has flown 26 flights, spent 220.40-days in space, completed 3,468 orbits, and flown 89,908,732 miles in total, as of February 2003. She last flew in October 2002.
Date Designation Notes
1985 October 3 STS-51-J Mission dedicated to Department of Defence
1985 November 26 STS-61-B 3 communications satellites deployed: MORELOS-B, AUSSAT-2 and SATCOM KU-2.
1988 December 2 STS-27 Mission dedicated to Department of Defence
1989 May 4 STS-30 Deployed Magellan probe
1989 October 18 STS-34 Deployed Galileo probe
1990 February 28 STS-36 Mission dedicated to Department of Defence
1990 November 15 STS-38 Mission dedicated to Department of Defence
1991 April 5 STS-37 Deployed Compton Gamma Ray Observatory
1991 August 2 STS-43 Deployed TDRS-5
1991 November 24 STS-44 Mission dedicated to Department of Defense
1992 March 24 STS-45 Carried Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) mission 1
1992 July 31 STS-46 Deployed ESA European Retrievable Carrier and NASA Tethered Satellite System
1994 November 3 STS-66 Carried ATLAS mission 3
1995 June 27 STS-71 First shuttle docking with space station Mir
1995 November 12 STS-74 Carried docking module to Mir
1996 March 22 STS-76 Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Shannon Lucid
1996 September 16 STS-79 Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Shannon Lucid and John Blaha
1997 January 12 STS-81 Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of John Blaha and Jerry Linenger
1997 May 15 STS-84 Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Jerry Linenger and Michael Foale
1997 September 25 STS-86 Rendezvous with Mir, including crew transfer of Michael Foale and David A. Wolf
2000 May 19 STS-101 International Space Station assembly mission
2000 September 8 STS-106 International Space Station assembly mission
2001 February 7 STS-98 International Space Station assembly mission
2001 July 12 STS-104 International Space Station assembly mission
2002 April 8 STS-110 International Space Station assembly mission
2002 October 7 STS-112 International Space Station assembly mission
2006 August 28 STS-115 International Space Station resupply and construction.