The space shuttle Atlantis glides to a landing at Kennedy Space Center to complete its final mission in May 2010.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar.
Final Flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis
The space shuttle Atlantis completed its final scheduled flight when it touched down on at Kennedy Space Center on the morning of May 26, 2010. NASA is planning to retire the entire fleet of space shuttle orbiters by the end of 2010. Discovery and Endeavor are the other two remaining operational space shuttles.
Atlantis blasted off on its final mission on May 5, 2010. The shuttle delivered a new Russian-built research module named "Rassvet" to the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts conducted three spacewalks during the shuttle's mission.
Atlantis first flew into space in October 1985. This orbiter has completed 32 missions, including the final flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, seven missions to the Russian Mir space station, numerous flights to the ISS, and the launches of the Magellan and Galileo space probes in 1989.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Learn about Earth and space science, and have fun while doing it! The
games section of our
online store includes a
climate change card game and the
Traveling Nitrogen game!
You might also be interested in:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a very large space station in orbit around Earth. The ISS is currently inhabited and in use, but it is also under construction; new modules are gradually being
...more
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was one of the most important exploration tools of the past two decades, and will continue to serve as a great resource well into the new millennium. The HST is credited
...more
Commander Jim Wetherbee and pilot Mike Bloomfield brought Atlantis home with a perfect landing Monday at 4:55 p.m. CDT. The shuttle touched down at Kennedy Space Center after having been delayed a day
...more
The Galileo spacecraft was launched on October 19, 1989. Galileo had two parts: an orbiter and a descent probe that parachuted into Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo's primary mission was to explore the Jovian
...more
Astronauts are exposed to many different types of dangerous radiation in space. Space agencies, like NASA, must carefully monitor the radiation exposure of astronauts to make sure they remain safe and
...more
The space shuttle Atlantis completed its final scheduled flight when it touched down on at Kennedy Space Center on the morning of May 26, 2010. NASA is planning to retire the entire fleet of space shuttle
...more
Driven by a recent surge in space research, the Apollo program hoped to add to the accomplishments of the Lunar Orbiter and Surveyor missions of the late 1960's. Apollo 11 was the first mission to succeed
...more
