Atlantis

NASA is readying the shuttle Atlantis for launch Friday on the iconic program's 135th and final flight, bringing the curtain down on one of the nation's greatest technological triumphs after more than three decades at the apex of manned spaceflight.

Carrying a reduced crew of four to minimize potential post-launch rescue complications, Atlantis is scheduled for liftoff at 11:26 a.m. EDT, roughly the moment Earth's rotation carries launch complex 39A into the plane of the International Space Station's orbit.

NASA said in a briefing this morning that, despite some iffy weather in the forecast, … Read more

We're counting down to one last NASA space shuttle launch on Friday. This is it. No more space shuttles. It will be your last chance to gaze up into the night sky and see the pinpoint shining light of the shuttle above you.

The GoAtlantis app for iPhone and iPad will help you pick out Space Shuttle Atlantis from the usual satellites and stars. The app tracks the trajectory of both the space shuttle and International Space Station.

GoAtlantis uses your location to tell you when the station and shuttle will be passing over and what direction to look. Choose from world or sky views with trajectory lines that trace the orbits. You can practice with the space station tracking until the shuttle launches. Shuttle information will be updated in real time once the spacecraft gets off the planet.… Read more

NASA is set to end the 30-year space shuttle program next month with the final mission of Atlantis, but the craft may help extend the life of satellites orbiting Earth, thanks to a handyman robot.

Atlantis will carry a unique robotic experiment during the 12-day STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.

The Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) is designed to help figure out what's needed to refuel satellites in space. As NASA describes it, "RRM is expected to reduce risks and lay the foundation for future robotic servicing missions in microgravity."

The experimental platform will attach to the exterior of the ISS, where remote-controlled maintenance robot Dextre will practice gassing up satellites that are not designed to be refueled. To accomplish that, it would have to get past the seals that typically close a satellite's fuel compartment permanently. … Read more

This is it. No, really. I know you might have been temporarily fooled two years ago when it seemed as if the Lost City of Atlantis had turned up on Google Earth.

But this time it's serious. Really serious. How do I know? Well, it's on the National Geographic Channel.

According to Reuters, tomorrow night the channel will reveal the work of Richard Freund, a professor at the University of Hartford, Conn., and his international team of Atlantis-seekers.

You will be wondering where Atlantis truly is. Throughout history there has been speculation that it was somewhere near Southern … Read more

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--The shuttle Atlantis closed out its 32nd and final planned mission with a smooth Florida landing Wednesday, wrapping up a quarter century of service with a successful space station assembly mission.

Approaching from the south, commander Kenneth Ham took over manual control at an altitude of 50,000 feet above the spaceport and guided Atlantis through a 320-degree right turn to line up on runway 33.

Diving at a steep 21-degree angle, Ham pulled the nose up, pilot Dominic "Tony" Antonelli deployed the main landing gear, and Atlantis settled to a tire-smoking, on-time touchdown … Read more

Currently on its final trip of a career spanning 25 years and nearly 120 million miles since its delivery to Kennedy Space center in April 1985, NASA's primary flight shuttle, the space shuttle Atlantis, is nearing the end of mission STS-132. It is the vehicle's 32nd flight mission.

As part of STS-132, space shuttle Atlantis will deliver an integrated cargo carrier and a Russian-built mini research module to the International Space Station, and astronauts Michael Good, Garrett Reisman, and Steve Bowen are capturing some stunning images of the shuttle's final trip to the interstellar outpost.

If you've ever been on MySpace or Facebook, you'll recognize a phenomenon many refer to as "MySpace pics," or those portraits people take of themselves, usually in a mirror. As with any pictures, getting the right angle is key to making a flattering shot.

But the above photo that U.S. astronaut Garrett Reisman took this week during Shuttle Atlantis' final scheduled mission may be one of the greatest MySpace pics of all time.

He took it of himself from the base of the ISS' robotic arm while working with fellow crew member Piers Sellers to … Read more

Look! Up in the sky! It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station.

From now until Sunday, as the two spacecraft circle the Earth every 90 minutes, they should be visible to sky gazers across the globe. And that's especially true given that the shuttle is docked with the space station during its current mission.

"With the Shuttle attached, the [Space] Station appears even brighter than usual in the morning and evening sky," NASA said in a release Tuesday. "The station may be … Read more

Space shuttle Atlantis is set to launch at 11:20 a.m. PDT Friday on its final scheduled mission: a 12-day rendezvous during which the craft and its six astronauts will deploy new parts for the International Space Station, including the awesomely named Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable.

Like all current-generation space shuttles, Atlantis--which had its first flight on October 3, 1985--is notable for its impressive track record, as well as several important missions to the ISS and flying many of the secret Department of Defense missions that conspiracy theorists love to hate.

But this looks to be it. After … Read more