Final voyage of Atlantis

At 14:20 EDT on 14 May the Space Shuttle Atlantis departed from the Kennedy Space Center destined for the International Space Station. STS-132 is Atlantis' 32nd flight and its 11th flight to the space station. I always think that it is fantastic watching any rocket or space plane being launched into space. I think this flight is really made all the more special as it currently will be the final Atlantis flight.

Photo 1: Space Shuttle Atlantis departed from the Kennedy Space Center, Credit NASA/Kenny Allen.

Mission Summary

Atlantis’ 12-day mission will deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 that will provide additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. MRM-1, also known as Rassvet, which means dawn in Russian, will be permanently attached to the bottom port of the station’s Zarya module. MRM-1 will carry important hardware on its exterior including a radiator, airlock and a European robotic arm. Atlantis also will deliver additional station hardware stored inside a cargo carrier. Three spacewalks are planned to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a Ku-band antenna and spare parts for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm. Shuttle mission STS-132 is the final scheduled flight for Atlantis.

Quote 1: Mission Summary, Credit NASA.

Links

1. STS-132 Mission Summary (710 Kb PDF)
2. STS-132 Lifts Off

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