main page newsspace newsnasa announced the date of the last flight of the atlantis

NASA announced the date of the last flight of the Atlantis. / May 6, 2010 /

Guidelines NASA appointed date of the last shuttle mission, Atlantis’ on May 14, 2010. This is reported on the website of the American space agency. Shuttle with a crew of six people must start from the spaceport at Cape Canaveral at 12:20 local time (21:20 Moscow time).

Shuttle will deliver to the ISS, the Russian Docking Cargo Module (MIM-1 «Sunrise»). During the 12-day mission, astronauts will dock it to the functional cargo block Zarya.

In addition, the «Atlantis» will be the external equipment to the ISS, including solar panels and remote-controlled robotic arm. For the installation of equipment on the body of the ISS, astronauts will make a three spacewalks.

«Atlantis» is the fourth U.S. space shuttle. Its operation was launched in September 1985. He delivered the crews, modules and equipment to the station Mir and the ISS.

NASA closes the program Space Shuttle missions in late 2010. The latest in space will go «Endeavour», launch date which had been repeatedly postponed. As a result, the shuttle launches to the ISS is not July 29 as planned earlier, and in mid-November.

The delay caused by the need to replace the magnet in the device to search for antimatter particles (alpha magnetic spectrometer), which Endeavour is to deliver to the ISS. Scientists decided to replace the spectrometer used in superconducting magnet on the usual, as this will significantly increase the life of the instrument in orbit.

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