Jul 8 2011
From The Space Library
STS-135 was launched from Cape Canaveral on 08 July 2011 at 15:29 UT by the shuttle Atlantis. It docked with the International Space Station's (ISS) Harmony module on 10 July 2011 at 15:07 UT. This shuttle launch carried a crew of four and marked the 135th and final Space Shuttle mission. The mission's primary cargo was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello and a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC).
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-140 NASA RELEASES ADMINISTRATOR'S VIDEO ABOUT FINAL SHUTTLE LAUNCH
WASHINGTON -- With the successful launch of the final space shuttle mission, Atlantis' STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has issued a video statement about the program and the agency's future. Bolden salutes the Space Shuttle Program and its many accomplishments while also highlighting the human spaceflight missions yet to come on the space station and beyond. NASA is facilitating commercial access for cargo and crew to low Earth orbit and developing technologies and capabilities to reach destinations in deep space such as asteroids and Mars.
RELEASE: 11-216 NASA'S FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION BEGINS WITH ATLANTIS' LAUNCH
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT Friday. STS-135 is the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. "With today's final launch of the space shuttle we turn the page on a remarkable period in America's history in space, while beginning the next chapter in our nation's extraordinary story of exploration," Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Tomorrow's destinations will inspire new generations of explorers, and the shuttle pioneers have made the next chapter of human spaceflight possible." The STS-135 crew consists of Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. They will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with more than 8,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired. "The shuttle's always going to be a reflection to what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through," Ferguson said shortly before liftoff. "We're not ending the journey today…we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end." The mission includes flying the Robotic Refueling Mission, an experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques needed for robotic refueling of satellites in space, even satellites not designed for servicing. The crew also will return with an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft. Atlantis is on a 12-day mission and scheduled to dock to the station at 11:06 a.m. on Sunday. STS-135 is the 135th shuttle flight, the 33rd flight for Atlantis and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. NASA's Web coverage of STS-135 includes mission information, a press kit, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos.
