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Space Shuttle Atlantis Lifts Off on Final Mission
VOA - July 08, 2011
The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis blasted off Friday on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the 135th and final flight of the 30-year-old space shuttle program.
The space agency NASA said as many as 1 million people were gathered in and around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the historic liftoff. Launch control called the space mission "a sentimental journey."
VOA - S. Presto
US Space shuttle fan sports her "shuttle socks" ahead of Atlantis launch at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, July 8, 2011
The shuttle's four-member crew will deliver supplies, spare parts and science experiments to the International Space Station during its 12-day mission.
The space shuttles have served as the complex workhorses of the U.S. manned space program for the last 30 years, playing a key role in the building and operation of the International Space Station (ISS) and performing other important missions. The end of the shuttle program leaves the United States without its own manned spacecraft.
'Farewell, Discovery,' as Shuttle's Space Career Ends
VOA - Suzanne Presto | Washington March 09, 2011
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery and its crew ended a 13-day mission and a journey of more than 8 million kilometers Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the end of a mission and the end of a storied career.
"And nose gear touchdown and the end of a historic journey," said the NASA announcer. "And to the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say, 'Farewell, Discovery.'"
Discovery ended its 27-year career with a smooth touchdown under clear skies. Soon after landing, the six astronauts of Discovery's final mission greeted NASA officials on the runway at Kennedy Space Center.
The astronauts in blue flight suits shook hands and shared hugs with officials, including NASA administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, both former astronauts themselves.
Bolden thanked the crew for what he called "an absolutely incredible flight."
"If my numbers are correct, it's the 39th flight on Discovery," said Bolden. "Discovery has a very special place for me and for Bob Cabana over here because we both had an opportunity to fly on it twice, and so this is very bittersweet for all of us."
The commander of Discovery's ultimate mission, Steve Lindsey, said the fleet's longest-serving shuttle was back on the ground in the same condition after its final mission as it was after its first mission. That news was particularly welcome, considering that Discovery's blastoff into space was delayed for several months after engineers discovered cracks in support beams on the shuttle's fuel tank.
Lindsey said not a single system had any problem.
"If you think about a vehicle that's 26 or 27-years-old, been flying for that long, to come back perfect - I have never seen an airplane be able to do that," said Lindsey.
NASA is retiring its shuttle fleet this year and is encouraging the development of commercial human spaceflight vehicles.
As for Discovery, after a high-flying career that included logging 238 million kilometers in space, the shuttle will retire to a museum.
Commander Lindsey reflected on the end of the era.
"As Charlie mentioned, it's a pretty bittersweet moment for all of us," he said. "As the minutes pass, I'm actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight, and I know all the folks involved in the shuttle program feel the same way."
For its last mission, Discovery delivered Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space and now a permanent resident of the International Space Station. It also carried a pressurized module that can host experiments in fluid physics, biotechnology and other areas. During the mission, the space station crew and the shuttle crew worked together to reconfigure the spacelab so that even more research can be conducted there.
Speaking at a news conference after the landing, the space shuttle launch director, Mike Leinbach, said more than 100 percent of the mission's objectives were accomplished. He credited the crews on the ground and in orbit and the shuttle itself.
"We wanted to go out on a high note, and Discovery has done that," said Leinbach. "We couldn't ask for more."
Next up is the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is gearing up for its final mission. Endeavour is targeted to lift off April 19.
Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-133) lands at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, completing its 39th and final flight, March 9, 2011
'Farewell, Discovery,' as Shuttle's Space Career Ends
Article and video from VOA
US Space Shuttle Discovery Launched on Final Flight
Greg Flakus | Houston February 24, 2011 - VOA
The Space Shuttle Discovery is now on its way to the International Space Station after what NASA calls "a picture perfect launch" from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday. This is the last flight of the oldest and most-travelled of the US shuttles. Discovery and its six-member crew is expected to reach the orbiting International Space Station Saturday.
With thousands of spectators on hand for this last launch of NASA's workhorse shuttle, launch commentator Mike Curie announced the firing of the rockets and the beginning of Discovery's final ascent: "Booster ignition and the final lift off of Discovery, a tribute to the dedication, hard work and pride of America's space shuttle team. The shuttle has cleared the tower."
A last-minute computer problem almost interfered with the launch, the window for which had shrunk from five minutes to three because of weather conditions at the central Florida Atlantic coast launch site. Discovery fired its engines for lift off with only two seconds to spare.
The launch was originally scheduled for November, but the mission was postponed after technicians discovered a leak in the external fuel tank. That led to further inspections in which engineers found cracks in the tank that needed to be repaired.
This was the 39th launch for Discovery. Its first mission was in 1984 and it has flown more than any of the other shuttles in NASA's fleet. It is to be permanently retired after this mission and the other two remaining shuttles, Endeavor and Atlantis, will also be retired after missions to be carried out in the coming months.
On Saturday, Discovery is to arrive at the International Space Station, where it is to deliver a storage module and several tons of equipment and supplies to the orbiting station. Among the items being delivered is a humanoid robot called Robonaut-2, which is to be used for future work in the US laboratory section of the space station. The robot, which consists of a torso, a helmeted head, two arms and fully functional fingers was developed for NASA by General Motors to do routine tasks that will free the humans on board to concentrate on more complex work.
Discovery will arrive at a space station that is already quite active. Just hours before the Discovery lift off from the Kennedy Space Center, the European Space Agency's ATV-2 cargo ship arrived at the space station with tons of supplies and extra fuel. With the addition of Discovery on Saturday, space craft and robotic arms supplied by all five major international space agencies will be at the orbiting laboratory at the same time.
NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier says all the various components and vehicles will be involved in what he described as an "international ballet" in space. "This is a very intriguing time in terms of the number of vehicles going to space station and the activities that are occurring on station. This is probably unprecedented in the history of human space flight, the amount of activity to one single destination, all focused around the same thing and all the partners around the world who are essentially working together on these activities,' he said.
Gerstenmaier says it is possible that the Discovery crew will assist a photo session at the $100-billion space station before their 11-day mission ends next month. NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency are discussing the idea of using a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to circle around the station to take video and photographs of the unprecedented array of vehicles and modules connected together. A decision on that is likely to come towards the end of the current mission.
US Space Shuttle Discovery Launched on Final Flight
