Atlantis first shuttle to be retired
Posted: Sat, Feb 18, 2006, 4:48 AM ET (0948 GMT)
Atlantis will be the first of NASA's three remaining space shuttle orbiters to be retired, in 2008, shuttle managers said Friday. Atlantis had been scheduled to begin a lengthy overhaul in September 2008, after flying five more missions, but by the time that overhaul would have been complete the shuttle fleet as a whole would be ready for retirement. Instead, NASA plans to use Atlantis as a "parts donor" for the other two shuttles, Discovery and Endeavour, which have both either recently completed or are about to complete overhauls. NASA is planning about 17 more shuttle missions before the program ends in 2010.
Atlantis will be the first of NASA's three remaining space shuttle orbiters to be retired, in 2008, shuttle managers said Friday. Atlantis had been scheduled to begin a lengthy overhaul in September 2008, after flying five more missions, but by the time that overhaul would have been complete the shuttle fleet as a whole would be ready for retirement. Instead, NASA plans to use Atlantis as a "parts donor" for the other two shuttles, Discovery and Endeavour, which have both either recently completed or are about to complete overhauls. NASA is planning about 17 more shuttle missions before the program ends in 2010.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, March 13
Solar 'Current of Fire' Speeds Up
Science@NASA — 5:30 pm ET (2230 GMT) SpaceX Falcon 9 Roars To Life At Cape Canaveral
Florida Today — 5:29 pm ET (2229 GMT) Shuttle Valve Leak Could Push Back April 5 Launch
Florida Today — 5:28 pm ET (2228 GMT) SpaceX successfully tests main engines of its Falcon rocket
Huntsville Times — 5:28 pm ET (2228 GMT) Solar storms could wreak havoc with electronic systems
Sydney Morning Herald — 5:27 pm ET (2227 GMT) |