In the afternoon we were invited in to fly the simulators. On Friday morning the crew of the Atlantis, STS-135, spent four hours on the simulators. “ My career ended today.“ July 1, 2011, ended use of space shuttle simulators at Johnson Space Center. Once the shuttle and the ISS are flying together, easing the shuttle closer to the ISS and docking is fairly easy.” Pete landed the shuttle once, and docked the shuttle with the International Space station.Īfter docking Pete remarked how easy it was, and the flight instructor agreed, adding, “the tough part is catching up with the ISS, modulating the shuttle’s speed so that the shuttle and ISS are flying exactly the same speed. Shuttle commanders dock shuttle pilots (second in command) undock.In all Carol Anne landed the shuttle twice from 10,000 feet successfully landing on the SLF in Florida. Docking takes place on the flight deck with the Commander facing towards the bay and the back of the shuttle while looking into the bay, and down at the docking hatch which is located in the bay. The joystick on the right of the picture, and a button out of view under his left hand are the only docking controls. Pete Crow docking Space Shuttle OV-95 to the International Space Station 230 miles above the Red Sea in a NASA avionics simulator at Johnson Space Center, Houston, on Friday, July 1, 2011. Photographs here are of the actual docking, some from a camera on the Atlantis of the docking area on the ISS.Īll photographs below are courtesy NASA-TV These following views are of Mission Control, Houston, during that approach and docking, and renderings of the approach of how Atlantis approaches and docks to the ISS. Sunday morning, July 10, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis (officially OV-104) overtook and docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle is 1 hour, six minutes, from docking with the ISS at the time of this photograph. ISS is about 600 feet from the Atlantis as they fly in tandem. International Space Station from docking hatch of the Shuttle Atlantis during docking. NASA-TV does a superb job of providing on-going 24/7 coverage from the Mission Control Center, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.Ĭurrent header Photograph. On Friday, J… the four Astronauts will fly to Houston in the morning and will attend a final public celebration of their successful mission in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center at 4 pm. NASA has no near term plans to fly manned missions again and has, in effect, ceded the American manned space program to the Russians and the Chinese. STS-135 was the last of 135 shuttle missions over the past 30 years. A large number will be laid off on Friday, July 22, 2011.įollowing the employee ceremonies, Atlantis was returned to its hangar (OPF #2) and preparations to turn her over to the Kennedy Visitors Space Center sometime in 2012 will begin. Thursday, 4 pm, JThe crew of STS-135 / Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully landed shortly before 6 am on their first orbit opportunity on July 21, 2011, on runway 15 in Florida.Īfter safeing the vehicle, a press conference was held on the runway, and then Atlantis was towed back to Orbiter Processing Facility #2 where a walk-around for NASA / Kennedy Space Center eomployees was held.įor many of these employees the landing was bittersweet. Achilles excellent footage of others events can also be found at this link. This clip, which features Pete Crow interviewing Mr. Tony Achilles, WPKN in Bridgeport, Connecticut, shot this footage. See my interview with Buddy McKenzie of the Space Alliance standing under the tail of the Endeavour on March 7 below:ĭISCUSSION OF THE SHUTTLE TILES and challenges they presented to the NASA ground crews. New York City will get, or may already have, the shuttle mockup that has been at the Smithsonian Museum at Dulles Airport. It is on the dock at KSC in front of the Media Site 39 awaiting its barge ride to Galveston, Texas. The Houston Johnson Space Center will get the shuttle mockup that has been at the Kennedy Space Center. Status of the three surviving orbiters (originally there were 5 - the first two, Columbia and Challenger were lost):Įndeavour - in early stages of preparation for Los Angelesĭiscovery - goes to Smithsonian at Dulles Airport April 17, 2012Ītlantis - goes to Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Center - building to house Atlantis is under construction The photograph is by Tony Achilles of radio station WPKN in Bridgeport, CT.Īs NASA did with the shuttle Discovery, the media was invited to have a look around on Maincluding visits to the flight deck. Pete Crow in the Commander seat on the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Eneavour on March 7, 2012.
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