News Archive / Tagged: Space Shuttle Atlantis

• Veteran NASA astronaut Dan Burbank leaves NASA

  Jason RhianJuly 2nd, 2018

  After being tapped by the agency to be an astronaut in 1996 and spending some 188 days on orbit, Dan Burbank has decided it's time to hang up his spacesuit. 

• Astronaut Hall of Fame welcomes Foale, Ochoa to its ranks

  Jason RhianMay 20th, 2017

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Two NASA astronauts joined the elite ranks of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame located at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's $100 million Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Given that both Michael Foale and Ellen Ochoa flew on OV-104 (Atlantis), the duo makes the Friday, May 19, ceremony all the more poignant.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: STS-135, remembering the past – looking forward to the future

  Bart LeahyJuly 8th, 2016

  Five years ago today, the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Space Shuttle program itself took its last flight into space on mission STS-135 to service the International Space Station (ISS). Since that last flight in 2011, the Shuttle orbiters have been flown off to museums across the country and NASA’s human spaceflight program has shifted to other missions and other vehicles. No other American human-rated spacecraft has been flown so often or accomplished so much.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: STA – An unexpected journey

  Jason RhianNovember 1st, 2015

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — With the 30th anniversary of Space Shuttle Atlantis' first flight slightly more than a week old, SpaceFlight Insider decided that it was a good time to discuss a somewhat unexpected journey. For each of the shuttle missions, the commander and pilot fly Shuttle Training Aircraft to prepare for landing one of NASA's now-retired fleet of orbiters.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Shuttle astronauts mark 30th anniversary of first Atlantis flight

  Jason RhianOctober 4th, 2015

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — It was a day three decades in the making: the 30th anniversary of the first flight of Shuttle Atlantis. Delaware North, the operators of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex hosted a series of events to honor the orbiter’s powerful legacy. The event was held on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015.

• Astronaut Steve Swanson leaving NASA

  Jason RhianAugust 14th, 2015

  NASA is poised to lose another member of its Astronaut Corps. Three-time shuttle veteran Steven Swanson joins them, becoming one among many who have opted to leave the agency in the post-shuttle era. His departure marks the fourth experienced astronaut to leave NASA in a month's time.

• Astronaut Stephen Frick retires from NASA

  Jason RhianJuly 28th, 2015

  Following other astronauts, shuttle astronaut Stephen Frick has left NASA. His last day was July 13. He is the latest among a number of departures from the agency’s Astronaut Office as it transitions from the Shuttle Program to the Space Launch System program, which likely won't fly until 2018 at the earliest.

• Summer space book review: Go For Orbit, STS-135 Atlantis, NASA Behind the Scenes Snippets

  Jason RhianJuly 12th, 2015

  An array of space-related books has been unleashed upon the public recently. SpaceFlight Insider takes a closer look at three recent offerings, each of which provides a unique look into the world of spaceflight, as each gives an insider’s perspective of what it is like to work in and around the U.S. Space Agency. An astronaut and […]

• REVIEW: Infinite Worlds – capturing a historic moment in time

  Jason RhianNovember 9th, 2014

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla — Many books that detail the people and machines that make spaceflight, especially those dealing predominantly with photography, detail events – in very broad strokes. On some occasions, however, the focus becomes far narrower – such is the case with, Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space Exploration, a book […]

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: STS-86

  Heather SmithSeptember 26th, 2014

  On September 26, 1997, six NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut launched on Space Shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex-39A in Florida to complete its seventh docking to the Mir space station. This mission carried SPACEHAB, the double module used for docking with Mir for cargo transfer and astronaut exchange. The previous Shuttle-Mir missions were STS-71, […]

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: STS-115

  Heather SmithSeptember 9th, 2014

  On September 9, 2006, the STS-115 crew of space shuttle Atlantis launched at 11:15 a.m EDT (1515 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39 in Florida. Led by Commander Brent Jett and Pilot Chris Ferguson, the mission included the addition of the P3/P4 truss structure. After the  two return to flight missions of STS-114 and STS-121, the STS-115 was a return to major assembly of the […]

• Bruce McCandless, Capcom for Apollo 11, visits Kennedy Space Center, discusses historic mission

  SpaceFlight InsiderJuly 21st, 2014

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — Bruce McCandless II was on site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex for the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing this week. McCandless served as Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for the first lunar spacewalk.

• What have we accomplished in three years? Life after STS-135

  Heather SmithJuly 12th, 2014

  On a hot summer morning in July of 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida marking the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program. It not only marked the end of the U.S.’ crewed program of record – but all signaled a potential turning point. What has the U.S. space […]

• ISS officials looking into space station’s recent power failure

  James TuttenMay 10th, 2014

  Flight controllers working on Earth for the International Space Station (ISS) are investigating a power failure that occurred in the space station’s 3A power channel on Thursday, May 8. NASA officials have stated that the power issue will not impact the departure of the Expedition 39 crewmembers on Tuesday, May 13. The space agency also […]

• Introducing the 2014 Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductees: Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross

  SpaceFlight InsiderMay 4th, 2014

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Rainy weather could not dampen spirits at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the 2014 Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductions. Yesterday, a crowd gathered underneath the Space Shuttle Atlantis to honor two distinguished American Astronauts – Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross. If you have had the opportunity to visit the Space Shuttle […]