Space Shuttle Atlantis: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

m

Line 135:

[[File:Space Shuttle Placement Announcement - 201104120001HQ.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|NASA administrator Charlie Bolden announces that ''Atlantis'' will remain at the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]] on permanent exhibition.]]

NASA initially planned to withdraw ''Atlantis'' from service in 2008, as the orbiter would have been due to undergo its third scheduled OMDP; the timescale of the final retirement of the shuttle fleet was such that having the orbiter undergo this work was deemed uneconomical. It was planned that ''Atlantis'' would be kept in near-flight condition to be used as a [[Cannibalization (parts)|spares source]] for ''Discovery'' and ''Endeavour''. However, with the significant planned flight schedule up to 2010, the decision was taken to extend the time between OMDPs, allowing ''Atlantis'' to be retained for operations. ''Atlantis'' was subsequently swapped for one flight of each ''Discovery'' and ''Endeavour'' in the flight manifest. ''Atlantis'' had completed what was meant to be its last flight, [[STS-132]], prior to the end of the shuttle program,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/06/atlantis-avoids-early-retirement-will-keep-flying-to-2010/|title=Atlantis avoids early retirement – will keep flying to 2010 |publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|last=Bergin|first=Chris|date=June 23, 2007}}</ref> but the extension of the Shuttle program into 2011 led to ''Atlantisdeez'' being selected for [[STS-135]], the final Space Shuttle mission in July 2011.

[[File:Atlantis on display - pre-opening.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|''Atlantis'' display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on June 10, 2013]]