View allAll Photos Tagged SpaceShuttleAtlantis
At the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida you'll find the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis displayed in an awesome way.
It's immense size had me asking one of the staff members, "How did they manage to get it in the building?"
The answer was simpler than I thought. They rolled it through the one unfinished side of the building, lifted it onto its supports, and then finished the construction. How cool is that?
Loved the time I spent here. Brought me back to when I visited as a little boy on a family vacation shortly after the Apollo Space Program ended oh so many years ago...
Atlantis, STS-117 Launch + 3:40
The exhaust trail shifting northward and towards us in the breeze. It was striking and cast some amazing shadows (the diagonal on the right). The scale is somewhat lost here - it was still >3 miles from us. Atlantis by this point was a very small point of light that everyone else was still watching, but I didn't want to miss this image so I swapped lenses for a quick shot.
Launch pad 39B is visible on the far left as the cloud moved towards it. 39A from which Atlantis launched is just right of center.
STS-117, June 08, 2007
Launch +7 seconds (approx). The shockwave came soon hereafter. Wow. There should be more camera shake in these shots than there is.
Atlantis was just about to start rolling, but here it's still in profile so you can see the main engine exhaust to the right of the boosters'. The tower bathed in flame gives some sense of scale. That's just a massive burn going down.
This week in 1995, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-71, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the first space shuttle-Mir docking. STS-71 also marked the 100th U.S. human space launch conducted from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Here, Atlantis prepares to dock with Russia’s Mir space station. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. After 20 years of continuous human presence, the space station remains the sole space-based proving ground and stepping stone toward achieving the goals of the Artemis program. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
#tbt #nasa #marshallspaceflightcenter #msfc #marshall #space #history #marshallhistory #STS125 #SpaceShuttleAtlantis #Atlantis #nasamarshall #nasahistory #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #spacestation #mir
This week in 2009, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-125, landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California following a successful 12-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This was the fifth and final mission to service and repair the telescope. Here, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel perform the first of five spacewalks to work on Hubble, which is temporarily locked down in the shuttle’s cargo bay. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for the overall design, development, and construction of the observatory. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
#tbt #nasa #marshallspaceflightcenter #msfc #marshall #space #history #marshallhistory #STS125 #SpaceShuttleAtlantis #Atlantis #nasamarshall #nasahistory #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #ISS #HST #Hubble #HubbleSpaceTelescope
This week in 2011, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-135, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station. STS-135 carried the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics, and spare parts to the orbiting lab. This was the final launch of the Space Shuttle Program. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center serves as "science central" for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's science experiments. After 20 years of continuous human presence, the space station remains the sole space-based proving ground and stepping stone toward achieving the goals of the Artemis program. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.
Image credit: NASA
#tbt #nasa #marshallspaceflightcenter #msfc #marshall #space #history #marshallhistory #STS135 #SpaceShuttleAtlantis #Atlantis #nasamarshall #nasahistory #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #spacestation #InternationalSpaceStation
This week in 1985, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-51J, launched on its maiden voyage from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This was the second shuttle mission dedicated to the Department of Defense. The five-member crew safely landed at Edwards Air Force Base following their four-day mission. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
This week in 2001, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-104, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. In a series of three spacewalks, astronauts attached the Quest joint airlock module to the Unity node and affixed high-pressure gas tanks to the airlock. The space station and shuttle crews also tested nitrogen and oxygen lines for use on future shuttle missions and installed valves to connect Quest to the station's environmental control system. Here, the Quest airlock is installed onto the starboard side of the Unity node. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center serves as "science central" for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's science experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.
Image credit: NASA
This week in 2002, the space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-112, lifted off from Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station. STS-112 carried two primary payloads: the S1 integrated truss segment and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid Cart A, the first of two human-powered carts that would ride along the space station railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. Here, mission specialist David Wolf participates in the mission’s first extravehicular activity. Wolf is carrying the S1 outboard nadir external camera, which was installed on the end of the S1 Truss on the station. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
This week in 2007, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-117, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station. Mission objectives included delivering the second and third starboard truss segments and a set of solar arrays to the orbiting lab. Here, the space station’s new configuration is seen during Atlantis’ departure and fly-around. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
This week in 1991, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-43, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following a successful eight-day mission. The primary payload, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-5, above, was attached to an Inertial Upper Stage and deployed about six hours into flight. The Inertial Upper Stage propelled the satellite into a geosynchronous orbit. The satellite became the fourth member of the orbiting Tracking and Data Relay Satellite series, which provides and maintains improved tracking and data acquisition services to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
#tbt #nasa #marshallspaceflightcenter #msfc #marshall #space #history #marshallhistory #STS43 #SpaceShuttleAtlantis #Atlantis #nasamarshall #nasahistory #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter
This week in 2000, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-106, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station. STS-106 completed all mission objectives to prepare the station for the first crew, scheduled for launch October 2000. The mission focused on unloading nearly 3 tons of cargo from the orbiter and Progress supply craft already docked to the opposite end of the station. The crew transferred more than 6,000 pounds of material, including food, water, office supplies, onboard environmental supplies and a computer and monitor to the interior of the station. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
Liftoff of first flight of Atlantis and the STS 51-J mission. The view is from the below the orbiter and show its solid rocket boosters firing.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: 51j-s-003
Date: October 3, 1985
Atlantis, STS-117: Launch + 1:30
The angle is confusing because we were looking straight up and I was framing the exhaust not the horizon. Turning somewhat east from north I believe.
www.launchphotography.com/STS-132_rollout.html
As two workers look on at left, the orbiter Atlantis, strapped to 19-stories of space shuttle solid rocket booster and external fuel tank, crawls out the door of the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building for the final time April 21 at 11:31pm EDT, the start of its six-hour 3.4 mile trip to Pad 39A.
By my camera clock, we were at about Launch +16 seconds. I was privileged to meet some family members of the crew before the launch. At this point, the shock wave is hitting us, and my thoughts were for the crew's safety - amidst dumbfounded awe.
I was standing on a grandstand with a thousand or so cheering friends, family, and space-geeks, about 3.5 miles from the launch pad. The sun was beginning to set behind us which gave perfect light for viewing. It was warm and humid, but a breeze was coming at us from across the water. An altogether perfect event.
Edit (4/26/2009):
I just noticed 40,000 new views yesterday. Dugg. Welcome, good people of Digg! LOL.
Edit (7/13/2009):
A big thank you to Popular Photography Magazine for using this photo on the PopPhoto Flash blog today.
Tout autour de la navette Atlantis, on retrouve sur plusieurs étages des expositions interactives pour en apprendre plus sur l’histoire et les technologies du Space Shuttle Program de la NASA. Au fur et à mesure que l’on avance, le couloir devient orange et rouge, comme si l’on ressentait le retour brutal de la navette dans l'atmosphère Terrestre …
All around the Atlantis Shuttle, there are interactive displays on several floors to learn more about the history and technologies of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. As we move forward, the corridor becomes orange and red, as if we felt the sudden return of the shuttle into the Earth's atmosphere …
Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-104 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 12, 2001 to install the Quest Joint Airlock to the ISS. The Shuttle docked with the ISS on July 13 and performed maintenance to the station in addition to installing the airlock. The crew returned home on July 24, 2001.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: STS104-S-018
Date: July 12, 2001
Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission launches from the Kennedy Space Center. The mission delivered a second starboard truss segment and associated energy systems to the ISS.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: STS117-S-027
Date: June 8, 2007
Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission launched from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 2011. STS-135 was the last Space Shuttle mission. The crew of four delivered supplies to the ISS.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: KSC-2011-5420
Date: July 8, 2011
Due to substantial budget cuts, significant changes have been made to NASA's manned space program.
“Despite recent advances by other nations and the current budget crisis, we have maintained our lead in processed cheese technology”
Mr. Charles F. Bolden
NASA Administrator
The Hubble Space Telescope in a picture snapped by a Servicing Mission 4 crewmember just after the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured Hubble with its robotic arm on May 13, 2009, beginning the mission to upgrade and repair the telescope.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations.
Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities.
To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here:
Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-46 mission launched on July 31, 1992 from the Kennedy Space Center. The mission's objective was to deploy the ESA's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA). The mission also operated the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency Tethered Satellite System (TSS). The mission ended on August 8, 1992 when Atlantis landed back at the Kennedy Space Center.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: 9261132 or MSFC-75-SA-4105-2C
Date: July 31, 1992
www.launchphotography.com/STS-132_lift.html
In a rare special photo opportunity, the Orbiter Atlantis is raised and rotated vertically inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for lifting and attachment to the external fuel tank and pair of solid rocket boosters that will take it into space on STS-132, its final planned mission.
“NASA/JSC "Racetrack" growth configuration with space tug hangar & satellite servicing facilities. This concept was abandoned fairly early, however.”
Space tug = Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). Note also the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) hangar, along with the lurking & ever-present (during this time period) Science and Applications Manned Space Platform (SAMSP). Despite the name, most look to be unmanned in appearance…with a possible/eventual manned capability. I think.
Finally, New Orleans is the backdrop for this beautiful image, which I think is by Paul Houston…who I (possibly erroneously) think/thought was a Boeing artist.
At:
www.astronautix.com/s/spacestation1984.html
Specifically (minus the SAMSP):
www.astronautix.com/nails/s/ss84jsc2.jpg
Credit: Marcus Lindroos/Astronautix website
For years, I really thought this was photoshopped. Whenever I saw it, it was mostly at ‘unofficial’ sites/posts, forums, blogs, etc., so I never bothered researching it. I’ll be damned, it’s real! Furthermore, it’s at the VERY LAST place I expected to find it, along with the following excellent description! Despite it being ignorantly oriented - either for the benefit of the unknowing and/or 'aesthetics' - a Christmas miracle nonetheless:
“This view of shock-wave condensation collars backlit by the Sun occurred during the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on September 8, 2000. The scene was captured on 35mm motion picture film. One frame was digitized to make this still image. Although the primary effect is created by the forward fuselage of the Atlantis, secondary effects can be seen on the solid rocket booster (SRB) forward skirt, shuttle vertical stabilizer and wing trailing edge, behind the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME). The perfect on-time launch took place at 8:45:47 a.m. (EDT), September 8, 2000. Onboard the shuttle were astronauts Terrence W. Wilcutt, Scott D. Altman, Edward T. Lu, Richard A. Mastracchio and Daniel C. Burbank, along with cosmonauts Yuri I. Malenchenko and Boris V. Morukov who represent the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.”
images.nasa.gov/details-STS106-s-013
PHOTOBITION, also from September 2000. Not surprisingly, the site/service, company? no longer exists:
“Website Offers Spaceport Photos — A new web-based photo service featuring launches other operations at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport is now on-line at www.photobitionspaceport.com. Photobition Spaceport is a contractor at Kennedy Space Center responsible for photographic services
for launches and special events at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The company also provides access to historical photographs and photo archives from NASA centers nationwide. Call 321-867-4150 for information.”
From/at:
spaceref.com/press-release/nasa-needs-more-workers-florid...
Credit: SPACEREF website
inchhighguy.wordpress.com/tag/supersonic/
Credit: "Inch High Guy" website
“STS-30 --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis glides toward a landing on the Mojave Desert after spending just over four full days in space. Aboard the spacecraft were Astronauts David M. Walker, Ronald J. Crabe, Norman E. Thagard, Mary L. Cleave and Mark C. Lee. Moments later, the spacecraft’s landing gear came to a stop at 12:44:33 p.m. (PDT), 8 May 19890. It landed on Runway 22, a concrete facility, like a number of other NASA flights. Still others have landed on unpaved dry lake bed strips.”
Not a mention of the mission, the deployment of the Magellan/Venus radar mapper spacecraft - THE FIRST U.S. PLANETARY MISSION IN ELEVEN - 11 - IIIII IIIII I years! But by golly, now we know that, like a number of other orbiters, it landed on a concrete runway! The pièce de résistance: 'still others' landed on unpaved dry lake beds!!! No!?! Really?!? That being the key takeaway from this photograph. O - M - G. The bar being exceedingly low, at least it didn’t reference the pretty clouds in the bright blue sky.
(July 8, 2011) Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission launched from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 2011. STS-135 was the last Space Shuttle mission. The crew of four delivered supplies to the ISS.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: KSC-2011-5396
Date: July 8, 2011
Ribbons of steam and smoke trail space shuttle Atlantis as it touches down on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis marked the 26th nighttime landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program and the 78th landing at Kennedy. Main gear touchdown was at 5:57:00 a.m. EDT, on July 21, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 5:57:20 a.m., and wheelstop at 5:57:54 a.m. On board are STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. On the 37th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-135 delivered more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles.
Credit: NASA/Kevin O'Connell
Image Number: STS135-S-190
Date: July 21, 2011
Taxing to their position for "NASA 905 Heavy" at Fort Campbell Army Airfield. This is just a slightly different angle than a couple others in the photostream.
The International Space Station (top streak) crossing the sky (from NW to SE) followed by the Space Shuttle Atlantis (bottom streak) on its way back to Florida. Shot taken from Granby Airport (GNB).
Make sure to view the original size picture so you can see Space Shuttle Atlantis (it's the faint line below the ISS).
336/365
"Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, slated for mission STS-35, left, rolls past Atlantis, OV-104, on its way to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch pad 39A. OV-104, being readied for STS-38, is parked in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) following its rollback from the pad for liquid hydrogen (LH₂) line repairs."
While this made for a spectacular & rarely seen photo, it would've been much better for it to have never been the case.
The much more widely published/seen photo of the "conjunction":
images.nasa.gov/details/S90-46555
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/multimedia/atla...
Finally, this "head-to-head" comparison of orbiter vehicles nicely reveals Columbia's black "chines" on the upper surface of the shuttle's forward wing. These black areas were incorporated because the first shuttle's designers did not know how reentry heating would affect the craft's upper wing surfaces.
It can be seen to terminate in line with where the fly of the United States flag on the fuselage also terminates.
Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 Mission lands at Edwards Air Force Base after 14 days in orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Carla Thomas.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: STS117-S-048
Date: June 22, 2007
Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-125 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. EDT on May 11, 2009, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Onboard were astronauts Scott Altman, commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists.
Atlantis' flight included five spacewalks that refurbished and upgraded the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that expanded Hubble's capabilities and extended its operational lifespan. The payload included the Wide Field Camera 3, a Fine Guidance Sensor, and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.
Credit: NASA
The retired Space Shuttle Atlantis, new exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center. It's great the way they have it displayed on an angle and on the lower deck you are just about 6-8 feet from the left wing.
Day 72 of 365 Project: kevincase.com
This is a shot that's not about artistic or technical achievement in photography; it's just recording an amazing experience I had this afternoon.
As a kid growing up in the era of the NASA Saturn moon launch program I was a huge space nerd. I was the kid who always did something tied to the space program for science fairs in school, etc..
Today I had a chance I never thought would ever be possible during a visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, FL. Last fall, with the end of the shuttle program, NASA began offering tours of the huge Vehicle Assembly Building. General public access hasn't been available since the 70's, between the Saturn program and the start of the shuttle program.
I've seen this outside of this building from afar and up close many times over the years, but never expected I'd have the opportunity to actually go inside. It's impossible to describe the scale of this building and photos do not even come close to doing it justice. I've got shots from inside I'll post in the next couple of days but this one had to be the first.
As we moved along our tour of the building we came around the corner and what was before us but the Space Shuttle Atlantis. I've had the opportunity to see a dozen or so shuttle launches over the years but nothing prepares you for stepping around the corner and 20 yards away is an actual space shuttle, sitting right inside the VAB where it had been prepared for it's 33 flights into space. I know theses are all heading off to museums in the coming years but there was something really extra special about seeing it inside the VAB.
A couple of random stats about Atlantis:
Total Distance Traveled: 125,935,769 miles
Total Time in Space: 307 days
Total Orbits: 4,848
Total Flights: 33
Total # of Crew Members: 203
Mir Dockings: 7
Space Station Dockings: 12
Satellites Deployed: 14
The original was very grey (see below) so I Picniked it :-) Doves and Pigeons flying over.
After a suggestion by Nicolas..this is to commemorate the Space Shuttle's last flight.
Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program, STS-135, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis carries a crew of four and the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station. The STS-135 astronauts are: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
Tout autour de la navette Atlantis, on retrouve sur plusieurs étages des expositions interactives pour en apprendre plus sur l’histoire et les technologies du Space Shuttle Program de la NASA. Au fur et à mesure que l’on avance, le couloir devient orange et rouge, comme si l’on ressentait le retour brutal de la navette dans l'atmosphère Terrestre …
All around the Atlantis Shuttle, there are interactive displays on several floors to learn more about the history and technologies of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. As we move forward, the corridor becomes orange and red, as if we felt the sudden return of the shuttle into the Earth's atmosphere …