Space shuttle on verge of final landing
Page 1 of 1 • Share
Space shuttle on verge of final landing
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.: Space shuttle Atlantis zoomed back toward Earth on Thursday to make the very last landing of the 30-year program.
Atlantis' crew of four fired the braking rockets in the wee hours of the morning. That set them on a course toward an on-time touchdown just before dawn at 5:56 a.m., one last shuttle touchdown for the history books.
"The weather couldn't be better," Mission Control assured shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson.
NASA is ending its shuttle program with Atlantis' successful space station resupply mission. It is the 135th flight in shuttle history. This grand finale comes 50 years to the day that Gus Grissom became the second American in space, aboard Liberty Bell 7.
Hundreds were gathering at NASA's landing strip to welcome Atlantis home.
"Time to make our mamas proud," flight director Tony Ceccacci told his team in Houston's Mission Control. "Coming home, folks."
It was to be a true homecoming for Atlantis, which first soared in 1985. The next-to-youngest in NASA's fleet will remain at Kennedy Space Center as a museum display.
Atlantis — the last of NASA's three surviving shuttles to retire — performed admirably during the 13-day flight.
It dropped off a full year's worth of food and other supplies at the International Space Station, just in case upcoming deliveries get delayed.
The space station's international partners — Russia, Europe and Japan — will continue to carry up cargo loads. And Russia will keep launching American astronauts to the orbiting lab until private industry is ready to fly people up in three to five years.
Several private companies are vying for the cargo runs and astronaut ferry flights. The front-runner hopes to make its first shipment of supplies by the end of this year.
A U.S. flag that flew on the first shuttle flight in 1981 and returned to orbit aboard Atlantis, is now at the space station. The first company to get astronauts there will claim the flag as a prize. (AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.: Space shuttle Atlantis zoomed back toward Earth on Thursday to make the very last landing of the 30-year program.
Atlantis' crew of four fired the braking rockets in the wee hours of the morning. That set them on a course toward an on-time touchdown just before dawn at 5:56 a.m., one last shuttle touchdown for the history books.
"The weather couldn't be better," Mission Control assured shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson.
NASA is ending its shuttle program with Atlantis' successful space station resupply mission. It is the 135th flight in shuttle history. This grand finale comes 50 years to the day that Gus Grissom became the second American in space, aboard Liberty Bell 7.
Hundreds were gathering at NASA's landing strip to welcome Atlantis home.
"Time to make our mamas proud," flight director Tony Ceccacci told his team in Houston's Mission Control. "Coming home, folks."
It was to be a true homecoming for Atlantis, which first soared in 1985. The next-to-youngest in NASA's fleet will remain at Kennedy Space Center as a museum display.
Atlantis — the last of NASA's three surviving shuttles to retire — performed admirably during the 13-day flight.
It dropped off a full year's worth of food and other supplies at the International Space Station, just in case upcoming deliveries get delayed.
The space station's international partners — Russia, Europe and Japan — will continue to carry up cargo loads. And Russia will keep launching American astronauts to the orbiting lab until private industry is ready to fly people up in three to five years.
Several private companies are vying for the cargo runs and astronaut ferry flights. The front-runner hopes to make its first shipment of supplies by the end of this year.
A U.S. flag that flew on the first shuttle flight in 1981 and returned to orbit aboard Atlantis, is now at the space station. The first company to get astronauts there will claim the flag as a prize. (AP)
Rao Muhammad Aftab- Monstars
-
Posts : 1091
Join date : 2011-02-11
Age : 35
Similar topics
» NASA clears last space shuttle for July 8 blast-off
» Shuttle Endeavour prepares to leave space station
» 4,000 shuttle staff to lose jobs after final Atlantis mission
» Dog causes emergency flight landing in Pittsburgh
» Shuttle Discovery launch delayed to Wednesday: NASA
» Shuttle Endeavour prepares to leave space station
» 4,000 shuttle staff to lose jobs after final Atlantis mission
» Dog causes emergency flight landing in Pittsburgh
» Shuttle Discovery launch delayed to Wednesday: NASA
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Sat May 04, 2024 11:49 am by ali001
» house disrepair claims
Thu May 02, 2024 4:29 pm by Ibad Khan Buledi
» Bounce n Bang: Physics puzzler
Thu May 02, 2024 11:39 am by ali001
» AIChatSY - AIChatbot Assistant
Wed May 01, 2024 10:48 am by ali001
» Storybook Magic App
Tue Apr 30, 2024 7:06 pm by ali001
» Flower Book Match3 Puzzle Game
Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:17 pm by ali001
» Avian Influenza Symptom in Chickens "Bird Flu H5N1 Virus" Vet learning materials, Poultry Farming
Sat Apr 27, 2024 9:57 am by Ibad Khan Buledi
» Aloha Planner - Note-Taker
Thu Apr 11, 2024 4:52 pm by ali001
» Streaming Guide Film TV Series
Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:39 pm by ali001