NASA has scheduled the final launch in the Space Shuttle program, mission STS-135. The orbiter Atlantis should lift off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:26AM on Friday 8 July. The 12-day mission to the International Space Station will be the 37th visit of a shuttle to the station, and Atlantis‘ 33rd flight (she first flew in October 1985).
Atlantis will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired. The mission also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), an experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies, and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space—even satellites not designed to be serviced. The crew also will return an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft.
The crew consists of Commander Chris Ferguson (pictured second from right), Pilot Doug Hurley (second from left), and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus (far right) and Rex Walheim (far left). All four are veteran space travelers: all making their third flight but for Hurley, who will be making his second. The four-person crew will be the smallest crew to fly on the shuttle since Challenger flew STS-6 in 1983.
Following Atlantis‘ return to KSC, it will stay there. Plans call for the shuttle to be retired to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex.
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And not much to replace it by the sounds of it – Mars mission is on a slowdown because of lack of funding. When are we going to get on and explore space!?