STS-135

STS-135
Bill Ingalls · Public domain · source
Name	STS-135
Mission type	Crew transport and resupply
Operator	NASA
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch date	July 8, 2011
Landing date	July 21, 2011
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center
Landing site	Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39

STS-135 was the final mission of the Space Shuttle program conducted by NASA and flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis. The flight served as a crewed resupply and logistics sortie to the International Space Station, concluding a thirty-year era of Space Shuttle Columbia-derived orbital operations that began with STS-1 and involved vehicles such as Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Discovery, and Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission involved close cooperation with partners including the European Space Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency, and commercial entities like SpaceX during a period that transitioned toward the Commercial Crew Program and the development of Orion (spacecraft).

Mission overview

The mission objective was to deliver a multi-ton inventory of supplies, spare parts, and a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station, enabling ongoing habitation by crews from programs such as Expedition 28 and Expedition 29. Mission planning linked operations at Johnson Space Center with payload integration at Kennedy Space Center and mission management at Marshall Space Flight Center, while contingency scenarios referenced landing alternatives including Edwards Air Force Base and White Sands Space Harbor. Flight rules and safety analyses traced lineage to investigations like the Columbia disaster and programmatic decisions made after reviews by panels chaired by figures from institutions such as MIT and Caltech.

Crew

The four-person crew included mission commander Christopher Ferguson, pilot Douglas Hurley, and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Randy Bresnik. Crew training was coordinated with facilities including Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and the Marshall Space Flight Center while medical support involved teams from Wyle Laboratories and flight surgeons connected to NASA Flight Medicine. Each crewmember had prior assignments interacting with assets like Soyuz (spacecraft) and operations on the International Space Station with colleagues formerly aboard from programs such as Mir and cooperative projects with JAXA.

Payload and cargo

Primary payloads included the multi-purpose logistics module named Raffaello (module) carrying supplies, experiments from institutions such as Columbia University and Rice University, and critical spare hardware including components for the P6 Truss and life support elements derived from designs used on Skylab. Secondary payloads featured replacement units compatible with systems from manufacturers tied to Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne, as well as science investigations from organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the European Space Agency. The flight also carried return cargo manifest items scheduled for processing at centers including Kennedy Space Center and laboratories at Texas A&M University.

Flight timeline

Launch occurred on July 8, 2011, from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A following final closeouts at facilities managed by United Launch Alliance-adjacent contractors and a countdown overseen by personnel from Mission Control Center (Houston). The orbiter rendezvoused and berthed with the International Space Station using procedures developed with flight control teams from Johnson Space Center and docking protocols reflecting heritage from missions such as STS-88. Over the mission, crew performed robotic operations using the Canadarm2 and handled cargo transfers consistent with manifests used during Expedition 28. Return operations culminated in deorbit and landing at Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on July 21, 2011.

Vehicle and hardware

The flight vehicle was Space Shuttle Atlantis, orbiter vehicle number OV-104, outfitted with three Space Shuttle Main Engines and twin Solid Rocket Booster heritage components replaced through refurbishment managed at Michoud Assembly Facility. Thermal protection was maintained via tiles and reinforced carbon–carbon elements produced with techniques refined after inspections following the STS-107 accident. Ground systems at Kennedy Space Center supported stack processing and payload integration with contractors including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman participating in logistics and hardware supply.

Mission significance and legacy

The mission closed the Space Shuttle program, enabling a strategic pivot toward programs such as the Commercial Crew Program, the Artemis program, and the development of the Space Launch System. It marked the end of human spaceflight operations by an orbiter fleet that had serviced stations including Mir and the International Space Station, and influenced policy deliberations involving the United States Congress and agencies like the Government Accountability Office. Legacy effects included accelerated investment in commercial cargo providers like SpaceX Dragon and Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK), lessons integrated into programs at NASA Ames Research Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and archival preservation efforts at museums such as the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Category:Space Shuttle missions Category:2011 in spaceflight