In the present day within the historical past of astronomy, Atlantis heads for Mir, and the area shuttle fleet’s targets are inside attain.
Mir Commander Vladimir
Dezhurov (in blue) and Atlantis Commander Robert Gibson shake arms after Atlantis docks with Mir and the hatch between the shuttle and area station is opened. Credit score: NASA
Area Shuttle Atlantis, a reusable winged spacecraft and the fourth space-qualified orbiter to affix the U.S. area shuttle fleet (after Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery), launched June 27, 1995. Amongst different targets, the area shuttle program was designed to allow worldwide cooperation, help area station operations and resupply, conduct analysis, and facilitate crew change. Two days later, Atlantis started reaching these targets when it efficiently carried out the U.S.’s first-ever docking with Russia’s Mir area station. When docked, Atlantis and Mir shaped the biggest spacecraft ever in orbit at the moment, weighing almost half 1,000,000 kilos. The mission additionally carried out biomedical investigations, carried out the primary in-space crew switch, and delivered provides. Atlantis would go on to make six extra dockings with Mir and a number of missions to the Worldwide Area Station, in the end concluding its in depth profession with the ultimate area shuttle mission, STS-135, in 2011. The shuttle is now on display on the Kennedy Area Heart.
