With Space Shuttle Atlantis, ‘Great Things Were Accomplished’

By Bob Granath

When guests enter theSpace Shuttle Atlantis facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, they gain a close-up view of one of NASA’s most historic spacecraft. From its maiden voyage to space in 1985 to the final mission of the 30-year shuttle program 26 years later, Atlantis proved to be a versatile spacefaring platform. It completed 33 missions with 207 crew members who deployed satellites, serviced the Hubble Space Telescope and helped assemble the International Space Station.

During the Space Shuttle’s final mission on July 19, 2011, NASA astronaut Doug Hurley expressed pride in the program’s most significant triumph — the International Space Station.

“When a generation accomplishes a great thing, it’s got a right to stand back and, for just a moment, admire and take pride in its work,” he said as Atlantis undocked from the orbiting laboratory. “We’ll never forget the role the Space Shuttle played in its creation. Like a proud parent, we anticipate great things to follow from the men and women who built, operated and lived there. From this unique vantage point we can see great things were accomplished.”

NASA’s Fourth Space Shuttle

The fourth orbiter to join the Space Shuttle fleet, Atlantis was named after a two-masted ship that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. From 1930 to 1966, the vessel had a 17-member crew who worked in two onboard laboratories, studying water samples and marine life.

Structural assembly of the Space Shuttle Atlantis began with the crew module on March 30, 1980 at Rockwell International’s facility in Palmdale, Calif. Weighing 151,315 pounds, Atlantis was nearly 3.5 tons lighter than the first shuttle, Columbia. This was largely due to the use of improved technology, large thermal protection blankets on the orbiter’s upper body, rather than individual tiles.

Five years after the start of construction, the completed orbiter was transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center touching down at the Florida spaceport’s Shuttle Landing Facility on April 13,1985.

Atlantis arrived during a busy month for the NASA Space Shuttle Team. For the first time, two Shuttle launches occurred during the same calendar month. Mission 51-D soared into orbit on April 12, 1985 and mission 51-B launched on April 29, 1985.

After arrival, Atlantis was towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility. During the next seven months, it underwent inspections and began processing for its first flight, STS-51J, a dedicated Department of Defense (DoD) mission.

Because this was the first processing flow for a new orbiter, an on-the-pad Flight Readiness Firing of Atlantis engines took place on Sept. 12, 1985. The three Space Shuttle main engines came to life in a test of the spacecraft’s systems. The successful 22-second firing paved the way for the first launch.

On Oct. 3, 1985, Atlantis climbed into clear Florida skies with Karol Bobko as commander, along with pilot Ron Garbe and mission specialists Robert Stewart and David Hilmers. U.S. Air Force Major William Pailes also was on board as a DoD payload specialist.

The four-day mission was the second shuttle flight dedicated to the Department of Defense. In 1998, the DoD declassified the primary STS-51J payloads, identifying them as two third-generation Defense Space Communications Satellites launched into geostationary orbits by an Inertial Upper Stage. The satellites provide the United States military with global communications support.

‘Solid Performance’

During STS-51J, Atlantis performed flawlessly. The U.S. Air Force gave the new shuttle high marks, but in the guarded language of the Cold War.

“The performance of the orbiter Atlantis has been solid throughout the mission,” the statement read. “Detailed test objectives on orbiter systems were accomplished without incident. Atlantis’ (systems) were evaluated and found to be within parameters established by her sister ships.”

The report added, “All other elements of the Space Transportation System, including launch support, communications and mission control also functioned without incident.”

Atlantis glided to a landing in the California desert, touching down on Oct. 7, 1985 at Edwards Air Force Base.

During its years of service, Atlantis was the launch platform for 14 satellites, including the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, as well as two planetary probes — Magellan to study Venus and Galileo to explore Jupiter.

Starting with STS-71 in 1995, Atlantis pioneered the Shuttle-Mir missions, flying the first seven missions to dock with the Russian space station. When linked, Atlantis and Mir together formed the largest spacecraft in orbit at the time. The missions to Mir included the first in-orbit U.S. crew exchanges, now a common occurrence on the International Space Station. On STS-79 in 1996, the fourth Mir docking mission, Atlantis ferried astronaut Shannon Lucid back to Earth after her record-setting 188 days in orbit.

Beginning in 2000, 12 mission crews helped complete assembly of the International Space Station. Atlantis delivered components such as the U.S. laboratory module, Destiny, as well as the Joint Airlock, Quest, and multiple sections of the Integrated Truss structure that makes up the station’s “backbone.” On the final Space Shuttle flight, STS-135, the crew of Chris Ferguson as commander, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim launched on July 8, 2011. They delivered a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the space station.

A New Life of Inspiration

After the STS-135 crew returned from orbit, technicians began preparing Atlantis for public display. On the 30th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch, then NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announced that NASA’s fourth orbiter would remain at its home port as an inspiration for future explorers at Kennedy’s Visitor Complex.

Atlantis was transported to the new 65,000-square-foot facility at Kennedy’s Visitor Complex on Nov. 2, 2012. The exhibit opened on June 29, 2013, joining NASA rockets, spacecraft and artifacts from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras. Thousands flocked in to see the spacecraft displayed with payload bay doors opened and mounted at a 43.21-degree angle, providing the appearance of being in Earth orbit. That angle pays tribute to the countdowns that preceded every Space Shuttle launch. A crucial Space Shuttle system used to deploy and retrieve satellites, Canadarm – the robotic remote manipulator system arm — is extended from the payload bay in the museum.

“Millions of visitors come here every year to learn more about space and to be a part of the excitement of exploration,” he said to cheers and applause while standing in front of Atlantis outside of Bay 1 of Kennedy’s Orbiter Processing Facility. “They will be able to see what is still a great rarity — an actual flown space vehicle. Additionally, the workers who sent it into space so many times have a chance to still see it.”

Complementing the orbiter exhibit are numerous interactive features reflecting major accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program, including displays focusing on the Hubble Telescope and the space station. One of three space-flown shuttles displayed in the United States, Atlantis highlights the spacecraft and the facility tells the story of NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle Program.

The orbiter Enterprise, used for Approach and Landing Test flights at Edwards Air Force Base, was transferred for display at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. Discovery is at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C. The Space Shuttle Endeavour has been attached to an external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in the vertical launch position at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Did you work at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the Space Shuttle Program?

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