Home » THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A in 2007

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A in 2007

By  //  June 8, 2020

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During 14-day mission, astronauts conducted a total of four spacewalks

ABOVE VIDEO: Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch STS-117

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on mission STS-117 after a perfect countdown June 8, 2007, marking the first launch from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in more than four years.

During the 14-day mission, the astronauts conducted a total of four spacewalks to install and activate the S3/S4 truss segment, retract the P6 solar array and repair an out-of-position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.

The crew spent an extra day in space after the first two landing attempts on June 21 were foiled by Florida’s stormy weather over Kennedy Space Center.

Atlantis made a safe and smooth landing on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 22.

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In a blaze of billowing smoke, Atlantis soars into a dusky Florida sky on a mission to expand the capabilities of the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley. Image below: Atlantis touched down on a bright, sunny day on the desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base. Photo credit NASA/Tom Tschida.
Atlantis lands at Kennedy after a three-day journey from Edwards Air Force Base in California. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley.
The crew spent an extra day in space after the first two landing attempts on June 21 were foiled by Florida’s stormy weather over Kennedy Space Center. (NASA image)

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