Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission

Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission
Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission

Cape Canaveral, February 8: The US space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Thursday to deliver Europe's $1.9 billion Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. Here's a look at the mission: Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission
*NASA's 121st shuttle flight is an 11-day mission, with an extra day likely.
*Three spacewalks are scheduled to install Columbus, Europe's first permanent space laboratory, as well as to attach external experiments and tackle some space station maintenance tasks. Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission
*It is the 29th flight of Atlantis. Its final mission is currently scheduled for August to the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission
*After the current flight, there are 12 missions remaining for the shuttle program. The spacecraft are due to be retired in 2010. Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission
*Europe paid NASA for Columbus' launch by providing two connecting nodes for the $100 billion space station. Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission Atlantis flies on NASA's 121st shuttle mission