Wed, May 26, 2010
12 Day Mission Ended With KSC Landing Wednesday Morning
Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey
of more than 4.8 million miles with an 0848 EDT landing Wednesday
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA TV Image
The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was
the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. The mission, designated
STS-132, delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the
International Space Station. Also known as Rassvet ("dawn" in
Russian), the module provides additional storage space and a new
docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.
NASA TV Image
Ken Ham commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony
Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good,
Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers. The mission's three spacewalks
focused on replacing and installing components outside the station,
including replacing six batteries, installing a communications
antenna and adding parts to the Canadian Dextre robotic arm.
STS-132 was the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd flight for
Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly
and maintenance.
NASA TV Image
With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the
launch of shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to
lift off in September 2010. Discovery's flight will deliver the
Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module to house experiments.
STS-133 also will bring critical spare components and a cargo
carrier to the station. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first
human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery to become a
permanent resident of the station.
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