What was the name of NASA's last Space Shuttle that landed at the Kennedy Space Centre last week?
"from the back of a specially modified Boeing 747, only for initial atmospheric landing tests (ALT). ""Enterprise""'s first test flight was on February 18, 1977, only five years after the Shuttle program was formally initiated; leading to the launch of the first space-worthy shuttle ""Columbia"" on April 12, 1981 on STS-1. The Space Shuttle program finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by ""Atlantis"", in July 2011, retiring the final Shuttle in the fleet. The Space Shuttle program formally ended on August 31, 2011. Before the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, NASA began early studies of space shuttle designs."
"Space Shuttle retirement The retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet took place from March to July 2011. ""Discovery"" was the first of the three active space shuttles to be retired, completing its final mission on March 9, 2011; ""Endeavour"" did so on June 1. The final shuttle mission was completed with the landing of ""Atlantis"" on July 21, 2011, closing the 30-year Space Shuttle program. The Shuttle was presented to the public in 1972 as a ""space truck"" which would, among other things, be used to build a United States space station in low earth orbit in the early 1990s"
"of the mission, ""Discovery""<nowiki>'</nowiki>s crew carried out further deorbit preparations, and closed the shuttle's payload bay doors. A successful deorbit burn and re-entry ended with ""Discovery"" landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility for the final time on 9 March 2011 at 11:58:14 EST. The shuttle was retired at wheel-stop. Two spacewalks (EVAs) were conducted during the mission. NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special"
"first space shuttle to land at night at the SLF. A total of 78 shuttle missions landed at the SLF. The final landing of a space shuttle occurred on July 21, 2011 by ""Atlantis"" for STS-135. ""Discovery"" and ""Endeavour"" took off from the SLF on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for museums in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. In 2012, NASA's Johnson Space Center's Project Morpheus's first vehicle arrived at KSC. Prior to arrival at KSC and throughout the project, Morpheus vehicle tests were performed at other NASA centers; KSC was the site for advanced testing. Multiple tests, including"
"landing marked the final time a space shuttle mission concluded at Edwards Air Force Base, as well as the last time a ferry flight would be needed for an operational orbiter. Discovery returned to KSC on Monday, 21 September 2009 after refueling stops at Amarillo International Airport, Fort Worth Naval Station and Barksdale Air Force Base on 20 September. The last seven missions of the shuttle all touched down at Kennedy Space Center. Each spacewalk was planned to last approximately 6.5 hours. NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to"
"Shuttle ""Columbia"" disaster. The Shuttle fleet lost two orbiters and 14 astronauts in two disasters: ""Challenger"" in 1986, and ""Columbia"" in 2003. While the 1986 loss was mitigated by building the Space Shuttle ""Endeavour"" from replacement parts, NASA did not build another orbiter to replace the second loss. NASA's Space Shuttle program had 135 missions when the program ended with the successful landing of the Space Shuttle ""Atlantis"" at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. The program spanned 30 years with over 300 astronauts sent into space. The International Space Station (ISS) combines NASA's ""Space Station Freedom"" project"
"STS-4 STS-4 was the fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and also the fourth for Space Shuttle ""Columbia"". The mission launched on 27 June 1982 and landed a week later on 4 July. STS-4 was the final test flight for the shuttle; it was thereafter officially declared to be operational. ""Columbia"" carried numerous scientific payloads during the mission, as well as military missile detection systems. STS-4, being the last test flight of the Space Shuttle, was also the last to carry a crew of two astronauts. Commander Ken Mattingly had previously flown as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 16, and was"
"members were assigned backups who could take their place within the prime crew. The decision on whether to appoint a reserve crew member was made on a per-flight basis by flight management teams at Johnson Space Center. Consequently, the last NASA flight to have a full-time backup crew was STS-3. STS-4 launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on 27 June 1982 at 11:00 am EDT, with Ken Mattingly as commander, and Henry Hartsfield as pilot. This mission marked the first time the Space Shuttle launched precisely at its scheduled launch time. It was also the last research and development flight"
"as ""Challenger""s replacement, and was first launched in 1992. In 2003, ""Columbia"" was destroyed during re-entry, leaving just three remaining orbiters. ""Discovery"" completed its final flight on March 9, 2011, and ""Endeavour"" completed its final flight on June 1, 2011. ""Atlantis"" completed the last ever Shuttle flight, STS-135, on July 21, 2011. In addition to their crews and payloads, the reusable orbiter carried most of the Space Shuttle System's liquid-fueled rocket propulsion system, but both the liquid hydrogen fuel and the liquid oxygen oxidizer for its three main rocket engines were fed from an external cryogenic propellant tank. Additionally, two"
"Endeavour and our ship Atlantis. Thank you for protecting us and bringing this program to such a fitting end. God bless The United States of America."" Hundreds turned out at Kennedy Space Center to witness the last-ever landing of a space shuttle. An estimated 4,000 shuttle program workers also gathered to watch TV coverage at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. Inside Mission Control, team members shook hands, hugged and took pictures of each other savoring the historical occasion. After working through the checklists to safely power down the shuttle, the crew egressed Atlantis into the Crew Transport Vehicle (CTV)."
"on the band's last studio album, ""The Story"", ends with a recording of her voice introducing the song. Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle ""Columbia"" (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA's Space Shuttle fleet. It launched for the first time on mission STS-1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle program. Over 22 years of service, it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members. Construction began on ""Columbia"" in 1975 at"
"Shuttle ""Columbia"" perched atop a Boeing 747 arrived at Kelly Air Force Base for the first time for a refueling stop on its way to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was Kelly's most dramatic and visible participation in support of the space programm but not its last. NASA flights continued to land with parts and equipment for multiple Space Shuttle missions en route to Kennedy Space Center as late as June 2009. The San Antonio Air Logistics Center also managed the new Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, developed by McDonnell Douglas in the late 1980s. This advanced aircraft is a"
"after planned landing on Sunday, 3 May. STS-90 Mission Specialist Kathryn Hire was Kennedy Space Center’s first employee to be chosen as an astronaut candidate. STS-90 was the first shuttle flight known to carry a bat on the solid booster. A bat suffered a similar fate during STS-119. STS-90 STS-90 was a 1998 Space Shuttle mission flown by the Space Shuttle ""Columbia"". The 16-day mission marked the last flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab laboratory module, which had first flown on ""Columbia"" on STS-9, and was also the last daytime landing for ""Columbia"". Neurolab was a Spacelab module mission"
"spacecraft glow. During the spacecraft glow investigation, ""Columbia""s orbital altitude was lowered to , the lowest ever flown by a Space Shuttle. STS-62, one of the longest Space Shuttle missions, concluded on March 18, 1994, with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center after orbiting the Earth 224 times in 13 days, 23 hours, and 16 minutes and traveling 5.8 million miles. With the completion of his third mission, Thuot has logged over 654 hours in space, including over 17.7 hours on three space walks. Thuot left NASA in June 1995, and returned to active service with the Navy. Thuot"
"Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985. This was the maiden voyage of the Atlantis, the final Orbiter in the Shuttle fleet. After 98 hours of orbital operations, Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 7, 1985. Mission duration was 97 hours, 14 minutes, 38 seconds. STS-30 Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on May 4, 1989. During the four-day mission, the crew successfully deployed the Magellan Venus-exploration spacecraft, the first U.S. planetary science mission launched since 1978, and the first planetary probe to be deployed from the Shuttle. Magellan arrived at Venus in mid-1990,"
"15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities. STS-4 STS-4 was the fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and also the fourth for Space Shuttle ""Columbia"". The mission launched on 27 June 1982 and landed a week later on 4 July. STS-4 was the final test flight for the shuttle; it was thereafter officially declared to be operational. ""Columbia"" carried numerous scientific payloads during the mission, as well as military missile detection systems. STS-4, being the last test"
"Space Shuttle Discovery Space Shuttle ""Discovery"" (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. ""Discovery"" became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by ""Columbia"" and ""Challenger"". It embarked on its last mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011 and touched down for the final time at Kennedy Space Center on"
"journey, the shuttle was secured on the launch pad at 03:29 EDT on 1 June 2011. Large crowds, including the families of NASA's workforce, were present during the rollout. The STS-135 crew was also at the Kennedy Space Center to witness the last-ever rollout of a Space Shuttle. The crew participated in an informal Question & Answer session with news media, which was aired live on NASA TV. While ""Atlantis"" was rolled out to the launch pad, ""Endeavour"" was landing a few miles away at the Shuttle Landing Facility, touching down on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 at 02:34 EDT"
"changes before it could be completed, the retirement of the Space Shuttle was delayed several times until 2011, serving at least 15 years longer than originally planned. ""Discovery"" was the first of NASA's three remaining operational Space Shuttles to be retired. The final Space Shuttle mission was originally scheduled for late 2010, but the program was later extended to July 2011 when Michael Suffredini of the ISS program said that one additional trip was needed in 2011 to deliver parts to the International Space Station. The Shuttle's final mission consisted of just four astronauts—Christopher Ferguson (Commander), Douglas Hurley (Pilot), Sandra"
"STS-90 STS-90 was a 1998 Space Shuttle mission flown by the Space Shuttle ""Columbia"". The 16-day mission marked the last flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab laboratory module, which had first flown on ""Columbia"" on STS-9, and was also the last daytime landing for ""Columbia"". Neurolab was a Spacelab module mission focusing on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. The goals of Neurolab were to study basic research questions and to increase the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for neurological and behavioral changes in space. Specifically, experiments would study the adaptation of the vestibular system and space"
"September 2008, and was passed again by the House on 27 September 2008. It was signed by President George W. Bush on 15 October 2008. The bill authorized NASA to add another space shuttle flight to the schedule before the space shuttle program was discontinued. In January 2009 NASA restored AMS-02 to the shuttle manifest. On 26 August 2010, AMS-02 was delivered from CERN to the Kennedy Space Center by a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. It was delivered to the International Space Station on May 19, 2011 as part of station assembly flight ULF6 on shuttle flight STS-134, commanded by Mark"
"STS-132 STS-132 (ISS assembly flight ULF4) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle ""Atlantis"" docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The primary payload was the Russian ""Rassvet"" Mini-Research Module, along with an Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). ""Atlantis"" landed at the Kennedy Space Center on 26 May 2010. STS-132 was initially scheduled to be the final flight of ""Atlantis"", provided that the STS-335/STS-135 Launch On Need rescue mission would not be needed. However, in February 2011, NASA declared that the"
"STS-125 STS-125, or HST-SM4 (Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4), was the fifth and final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The launch of the Space Shuttle ""Atlantis"" occurred on 11 May 2009 at 2:01 pm EDT. Landing occurred on 24 May at 11:39 am EDT, with the mission lasting a total of just under 13 days. The crew of STS-125 included three astronauts who had previous experience servicing Hubble. Scott Altman visited Hubble in 2002 as commander of STS-109, the fourth Hubble servicing mission. John Grunsfeld, an astronomer, has serviced Hubble twice, performing a total of"
"in space, Christa McAuliffe, is followed by a symbolic apple. STS-51-L STS-51-L was the 25th mission of the United States Space Shuttle program, as well as the final flight of the Space Shuttle ""Challenger"". Planned as the first Teacher in Space Project in addition to observing Halley's Comet for six days, a structural failure during its ascent phase 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986, from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 killed all seven crew members—Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory"
"released from stand-by status on Thursday, 21 May. STS-125 STS-125, or HST-SM4 (Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4), was the fifth and final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The launch of the Space Shuttle ""Atlantis"" occurred on 11 May 2009 at 2:01 pm EDT. Landing occurred on 24 May at 11:39 am EDT, with the mission lasting a total of just under 13 days. The crew of STS-125 included three astronauts who had previous experience servicing Hubble. Scott Altman visited Hubble in 2002 as commander of STS-109, the fourth Hubble servicing mission. John Grunsfeld, an astronomer,"
"Shuttle mission, STS-135, began on 8 July with the launch of , carrying supplies for the ISS aboard the ""Raffaello"" Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). After resupplying the space station, ""Atlantis"" returned to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 09:57 UTC on 21 July, and concluding thirty years of Space Shuttle operations. Two days before landing, ""Atlantis"" deployed PSSC-2, the last satellite to be launched from a Space Shuttle. On 29 September, China launched its first space station module, Tiangong-1, which was placed into orbit by a Long March 2F/G carrier rocket flying from the Jiuquan Satellite"
"while testing a new system that enabled docked shuttles to draw electrical power from the station. During the mission, four EVAs to install the new equipment were completed. The mission was ended a day early because of the approach of Hurricane Dean towards Houston. STS-118 completed 201 orbits, and landed on August 21, 2007 at 12:32 PM EDT at the Kennedy Space Center, after 12 days, 17 hours, 55 minutes and 34 seconds. In late 2007, Kelly was assigned to Expedition 25 and 26. Kelly lifted off aboard Soyuz TMA-01M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:10 PM EDT"
"supported the final manifested shuttle flights, starting with STS-117 in June 2007 until the retirement of the shuttle fleet in July 2011. Prior to the SpaceX lease agreement, the pad remained as it was when Atlantis launched on the final shuttle mission on July 8, 2011, complete with a mobile launcher platform. In 1997 the pad was the proposed as the site of the first machine for the film Contact. Talks for use of the pad were underway between NASA and Space Florida—the State of Florida's economic development agency—as early as 2011, but no deal materialized by 2012 and NASA"
"Sandra Magnus Sandra Hall Magnus (born October 30, 1964) is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She returned to Earth with the crew of STS-119 ""Discovery"" on March 28, 2009, after having spent 134 days in orbit. She was assigned to the crew of STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle. She is also a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign KE5FYE. Magnus was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois. She earned degrees in physics and electrical engineering from the University of Missouri–Rolla (now known as the Missouri University of Science and Technology) before earning"
"PSSC-2 PSSC-2, or Pico-Satellite Solar Cell Testbed 2, also known as PSSC-Testbed 2, is a miniaturised satellite which will be operated by the United States Air Force as part of a technology demonstration programme. It was the last satellite to be deployed from a Space Shuttle. PSSC-2 was launched aboard on its final mission, STS-135. The launch took place from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, at 15:29 UTC on 8 July 2011. PSSC-2, along with a deployment mechanism, was carried to orbit in the payload bay of the Shuttle, attached to the right wall behind the Orbiter"
"became STS-51-L, the disastrous final flight of Space Shuttle ""Challenger"". After ""Challenger""<nowiki>'</nowiki>s destruction, NASA recycled the mission numbering system back to STS-26, which was the 26th shuttle mission and the first to fly after the disaster. S. David Griggs, a veteran of STS 51-D, was to have been the pilot of this mission. He was killed in the crash of a vintage World War II aircraft in June 1989 while training to serve as pilot on STS-33, and is commemorated on the mission insignia with a single gold star on the blue field. He was replaced by John Blaha. Sonny"
"of ""Atlantis""s final flight on July 21, 2011. The U.S. has since relied primarily on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable human spaceflight vehicle capable of reaching low Earth orbit, commissioned and operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1981 to 2011. It resulted from shuttle design studies conducted by NASA and the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s and was first proposed for development as part of an ambitious second-generation Space Transportation System (STS) of space vehicles to follow the Apollo program"
"STS-134 STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6) was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander. STS-134 was expected to be the final space shuttle mission if STS-135 did not receive funding from Congress. However, in February 2011, NASA stated that STS-135 would fly ""regardless"" of the funding situation. STS-135, flown by ""Atlantis"", took advantage of the processing for STS-335, the Launch On Need mission that would have been"