Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985. Atlantis is also the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J made from October 3 to 7, 1985.
Atlantis in orbit in 2010, during STS-132
Space Shuttle Atlantis as it transits the Sun
Melted aluminum plating on Atlantis's right wing underside (STS-27)
Atlantis docked to the International Space Station during STS-132 mission
The Space Shuttle orbiter is the spaceplane component of the Space Shuttle, a partially reusable orbital spacecraft system that was part of the discontinued Space Shuttle program. Operated from 1977 to 2011 by NASA, the U.S. space agency, this vehicle could carry astronauts and payloads into low Earth orbit, perform in-space operations, then re-enter the atmosphere and land as a glider, returning its crew and any on-board payload to the Earth.
Discovery approaches the International Space Station (ISS) on STS-121
Space Shuttle forward reaction control thrusters
Space Shuttle glass cockpit (simulated, composite image)
A window on Endeavour's aft flight deck