Facts about Space Shuttle Atlantis

1. 08

   Atlantis carried seven astronauts on its maiden voyage STS-41-B in February 1984, deploying the Palapa B2 communications satellite during the orbiter's inaugural mission.

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2. 07

   Over 1,000 heat-resistant silica tiles covering Atlantis required individual replacement procedures after each mission, with some tiles needing complete resurfacing to withstand reentry temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

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3. 06

   Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir nine times between 1995 and 1997, facilitating the first phase of International Space Station construction through cargo and crew exchanges.

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4. 05

   Atlantis carried the Hubble Space Telescope during its December 1993 mission, delivering corrective optics that fixed the observatory's blurred vision problem.

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5. 04

   Atlantis's thermal protection system consisted of approximately 24,000 silica tiles that required extensive inspection and replacement after every flight to maintain structural integrity.

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6. 03

   In 1985, Space Shuttle Atlantis deployed the Magellan spacecraft toward Venus, marking the orbiter's first interplanetary probe mission.

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7. 02

   The Space Shuttle Atlantis was constructed with a payload bay measuring 60 feet long and 15 feet wide, enabling it to carry up to 65,000 pounds of cargo to orbit.

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8. 01

   During its final mission in 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis completed 135 orbital flights across 32 years of active service.

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