Space shuttle Atlantis’ crew on Tuesday completed its inspection of the shuttle’s thermal protection system.
This marks the final use of the shuttle’s robotic arm, dating back to its inaugural flight on the shuttle Columbia in October 1981. That mission, STS-2 mission, was operated by Commander Richard Truly and Pilot Joe Engle for approximately 10 hours of checkout operations.
Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program, STS-135, a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis carries a crew of four and the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station.
The STS-135 astronauts are: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
