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Author
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Topic: Sharing memories of Space Shuttle Atlantis
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Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-28-2011 04:29 AM
   
Well, if all goes well we are a little over a week away from STS-135 and the final flight of Atlantis. So I figure now is a good a time as any to introduce the final part of these memories threads I started about our favorite space shuttles.For me, prior to seeing Atlantis up close I probably have the most vivid memories of it in movies and film (and books if you count "Shuttle Down" by G. Harry Stine AKA Lee Correy) as it was the shuttle that writers liked to abuse. They did everything to it from its first appearance in Space Camp to Armageddon. But at least along the way we got to see some nice launch footage of it on the big screen. In July 2007, I got a call at work as my Dad called to let me know that the shuttle Atlantis on the 747 was landing at Offutt on its return to KSC. I should have guessed maybe it was coming this far north as the other landing sites used by the 747 were all experiencing some rather foul weather that month. But we hadn't seen a shuttle in Nebraska since Columbia came through in 1985. So I asked my boss if I could take off early, went home, grabbed my camera and my Dad (since he had a car with a DoD security sticker on it and a military ID) and I went to Offutt AFB to shoot some pictures of the bird. I wanted to get there ASAP as I had no idea if it was just a fuel stop or if they would stay for the night (they ultimately stayed for the night). I'm glad I did as the conditions were perfect. There was a small crowd gathered and even the base security guards could be seen glancing over their shoulders to shoot pictures of the shuttle with cell phone cameras. It was a pretty festive atmosphere. Many of my good pictures can be found here. Of course, there was a Nebraska connection to Atlantis as it was returning to KSC after STS-117, which took Clay Anderson to the ISS. Now that may not like seem like much, but considering he was the first astronaut from my home state, he was (and still is) a bit of a celebrity. At the same time he was in orbit, I got word that the Strategic Air & Space Museum were planning to make a Clay Anderson exhibit. So I got in touch and volunteered my services. We ultimately selected a 1/72 space shuttle stack model for the build and I did a model of the STS-117 shuttle stack, complete with tan paint patches representing the foam repair from the hail damage. That model remains on display at the museum to this day in a display case next to one of Clay's blue NASA flight suits and a shuttle LRSI tile. Sometimes I wish I still had that model sitting in my living room so I could see it more often, but I still get a nice feeling when I visit the museum and see fingerprints from kids on the glass as they try to take a closer look at it. |
APG85
Member Posts: 306
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 06-28-2011 06:21 AM
I saw Atlantis (my favorite Orbiter) fly into Davis-Monthan, Tucson in 1996 after STS-76. She stayed for a few hours while the 747 fueled up... 
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garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 06-28-2011 08:10 AM
Shuttle Down - I'd forgotton about that enjoyable little book. Thanks for the memories Atlantis (and Jay). |
SpaceAngel
Member Posts: 307
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010
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posted 07-01-2011 07:56 AM
My favorite memory of "Atlantis" is servicing Hubble for the last time on STS-125 in May 2009... |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 07-01-2011 08:17 AM
My favorite memories of Atlantis are watching her dock with Mir in 1995 with my Dad. We both shared a passion for space exploration. He passed away two months later.The second is climbing aboard Atlantis on December 8, 2010 and getting a private tour of the mid-deck, airlock and flight deck. Sitting in the CDR' seat and seeing where the 132 crew placed their decal. Watching her launch exactly eight months later next week will be the capstone of the shuttle program to me. |
jasonelam
Member Posts: 691
From: Monticello, KY USA
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-02-2011 08:11 AM
I would say my favorite memory of Atlantis was STS-71. I watched the docking with Mir with a friends family (whom I was living with while in college in Kentucky), then flew to Houston to see my family and watched the landing live at Space Center Houston with them. Purely coincidental, but wonderful nonetheless. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3120
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-02-2011 10:56 AM
Atlantis is my favourite orbiter for the obvious reason that she was the only one of the fleet I saw being launched. Everything about the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-117 was just about perfect: in my wildest dreams I would not have expected to get a Causeway ticket, but I did. The launch took place on the first attempt, right on schedule, in near-perfect weather conditions. I was able to follow Atlantis well after SRB separation. As the icing on the cake, the sun set about half an hour later and soon afterwards an intricate, delicate pattern of SRB exhaust smoke was illuminated in the sky overhead. I did think about "moving heaven and earth" to see one of the last few launches but I confess that I was concerned in case it wouldn't be as good (more distant viewing site; delayed launch; launch into low cloud, etc.) So I have my glorious memories of Atlantis soaring into the wild blue yonder, and in time to come I hope to see her again, up close, as an exhibit at KSC. I doubt if I will be able to avoid whispering: "Hello old girl, good to see you again." |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 07-02-2011 11:49 PM
Atlantis gave me comfort from the hospital bed during STS-71 as I lay dealing with a kidney stone. It was great moments punctuating 4 days of agony. Thanks Atlantis for getting me through that ordeal...or at least helping.Oh, as I lay there I wondered if the zero G would have helped me. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-03-2011 04:22 PM
The first time I got to see Atlantis was after STS-27 when it was in the MDD. The first time I saw her land was for STS-30. It seems that Atlantis, other than the MIR missions, always had the big flight in sight then it was taken away. After Challenger she was listed to fly the first reurn to flight then moved to Discoevery, same as after Columbia. If Challenger had not happened Atlantis would have launched HST. So far Atlantis has been the unknow shuttle. Atlantis just flys her flights. I will wait to add to this after 135's launch. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 07-03-2011 11:24 PM
By the way, if anyone else has to deal with a kidney stone, I highly recommend reading Mike Mullane's book "Riding Rockets" while you are well medicated and it will make the experience more bearable. It happened to me anyway a couple days after I picked up the book. When I was done, I emailed Mike it was good for that and he wrote me back with a great response! And why do I say that in this thread (other than Dogcrew's mention that is)? Because two of his missions were DoD flights aboard Atlantis. While he doesn't talk about what payload they were carrying, he does talk about some of the lighter moments related to those two missions (astronaut Bill Shepherd and the sausage prank was especially silly). |
Rick
Member Posts: 379
From: Yadkinville, NC
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 07-04-2011 07:25 PM
I was on a VIP tour of Atlantis' OPF in November 2003 with NASCAR driver Ashton Lewis, who was able to spend about on hour on its flight deck. As I talked to the tour guide, we shared our mutual interests in NASCAR and NASA. He asked if I'd like to go inside Atlantis as well, and of course, I took him up on it. He sent for a bunny suit, but before it got there, the OPF lunch break ended and we had to leave. I did, however, get to stick my head in the hatch and check out the on-board toilet!!! |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 07-13-2011 03:20 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
By the way, if anyone else has to deal with a kidney stone, I highly recommend reading Mike Mullane's book "Riding Rockets" while you are well medicated and it will make the experience more bearable.
Thanks Jay, wish I had had that book. Doubt I would have felt like reading it till later, but it would have been a good companion I'm sure just like STS-71 was. Unfortunately I had another in '99. No shuttle mission that time or Mike's book. Hopefully I won't need his book again. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-13-2011 04:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Shuttle Down - I'd forgotton about that enjoyable little book. Thanks for the memories Atlantis (and Jay).
Noted also for its Rick Sternbach cover and for its depiction of Atlantis in Columbia's paint scheme, down to the black chines! Atlantis was depicted as squirrely in that book, but in a recent article, Atlantis was apparently dubbed "Hotlantis" for its superb performance as an orbiter: "the speed demon, the high payload, lightweight vehicle." |
crowe-t
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
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posted 07-15-2011 09:25 PM
Now that Atlantis has lifted off on the STS-135 mission, I can say my memories of Atlantis are seeing it's final launch in person. It was a beautiful sight to see and one that I'll never forget.Atlantis is my favorite orbiter, being the only one I got to see launch and I was very lucky to see it from the Causeway. STS-135 was the first time I saw an orbiter launch in person. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 07-16-2011 10:31 PM
A couple other interesting facts about Atlantis is it flew the highest inclination orbit of any shuttle mission (62 degrees) on STS-36, a classified DoD mission. It launched normally, but did a bit of a dogleg once it got out over the ocean to reach its target orbit. That was the closest any orbiter ever got to a polar orbit after Vandenberg's shuttle launch facility got shut down.Also, as I understand it, Atlantis took the least amount of time of any orbiter to assemble since the assembly crews had experience building Columbia, Challenger and Discovery beforehand. Endeavour took a little longer to build since a portion of the workforce had to be hired back for its assembly after the line was shut down for a few years. |
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