Shuttle launch plus#

Shop on Amazon to support Space Explored Writers. But in some ways, it was only the beginning… Want to help support Space Explored?ĭirectly support Jared by joining his Patreon (recurring support), or donate through Ko-Fi (one-off support) After nearly 2 weeks in space, the crew of STS-135 had returned. Gliding in from the darkness, with only the sound of the sonic booms to disturb the early morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis softly touched down at NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Touchdown | 5:57 AM EDT JSTS-135 Touchdown at Kennedy Space Center | Image credit: NASA/Chad Baumer Doug and Bob retrieved the flag left behind by the STS-135 crew and returned it to Earth. Not only was this flight a first for a private company, but it was also the first launch from U.S.

That being Doug Hurley.ĭoug Hurley and Bob Behnken flew aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on the Demonstration Mission 2 for the Commercial Crew Program. Out of all of these names, one may stand out amongst them. The crew of STS-135 consisted of the following Astronauts: Christopher Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus, and Rex Walheim. See space shuttle Atlantis with her last launch director, Mike Leinbach, and learn about the risks and rewards of the Space Shuttle Program from an insider. They left this flag aboard the station to only be retrieved by the next crew to launch from the U.S. It had previously flown on STS-1, the first shuttle launch. This totaled around 5,700 pounds of return cargo.Ī memento was left aboard the station before the crew of STS-135 departed, a U.S.

Shuttle launch plus#

This module was also loaded with experiments to be returned to earth, plus their waste. The Raffaello module rode in the Space Shuttles Cargo Bay during flight and was attached to the station using the robotic arm. That doesn’t even include the ~2,200 pounds stored in Atlantis’ middeck. Carried onboard, the Raffaello Multipurpose Logistics Module was filled with more than 9,400 pounds of supplies. On this final mission, Atlantis would visit the International Space Station. “The space shuttle spreads its wings one final time for the start of a sentimental journey into history”