# 3261 - 1998 $3.20 Space Shuttle Landing, Priority Mail
1998 $3.20 Space Shuttle Landing
Priority Mail
City: Washington, DC
Quantity: 245,000,00
Launch Of Space Shuttle Atlantis
Atlantis is America’s fourth operational space shuttle. The contract to build the shuttle was awarded on January 29, 1979, to Rockwell International. Construction on the shuttle began the following year, on March 3. Following the tradition of naming space shuttles after historic ships, Atlantis was named after a two-masted boat that had been the main research vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts between 1930 and 1966.
Because three other shuttles had been built before Atlantis, its creators were able to apply that knowledge to complete its construction in about half the time. Once it was completed, Atlantis weighed about 151,315 pounds, which was about 3.5 tons lighter than Columbia.
Atlantis’ first mission was a success and it returned to Earth on October 7. Less than two months later, Atlantis made its second mission, which was also NASA’s second nighttime launch of a shuttle. However, the space shuttle Challenger disaster early the next year grounded Atlantis and all other shuttles for an extended period.
With the Atlantis and Mir linked, American Robert L. Gibson and Russian Vladimir Dezhurov co-commanded the largest spacecraft ever assembled – a mass of nearly 225 tons – for five days of joint operations and scientific research. At the end of the docking, the two vehicles undocked in what the crew dubbed a “cosmic ballet” complete with photos taken by the Russian cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz spacecraft.
Atlantis flew its longest mission over 14 days in 2007. During that mission, they delivered items to the Space Station and performed four spacewalks. In 2009, Atlantis brought a seven-member crew on a service mission to the Hubble Telescope.
Atlantis was supposed to be pulled from service in 2008 for scheduled repairs, but changes to the shuttle program prevented that. Instead, it was decided Atlantis would provide parts for Discovery and Endeavour. However, the shuttle was kept operational longer than intended. Atlantis’ last flight was supposed to be STS-132 in May 2010, but it was ultimately selected for the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, in July 2011.
Click here for more stamps and lots of commemorative covers honoring the Atlantis.
Click here to see a video tribute to Atlantis.
1998 $3.20 Space Shuttle Landing
Priority Mail
City: Washington, DC
Quantity: 245,000,00
Launch Of Space Shuttle Atlantis
Atlantis is America’s fourth operational space shuttle. The contract to build the shuttle was awarded on January 29, 1979, to Rockwell International. Construction on the shuttle began the following year, on March 3. Following the tradition of naming space shuttles after historic ships, Atlantis was named after a two-masted boat that had been the main research vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts between 1930 and 1966.
Because three other shuttles had been built before Atlantis, its creators were able to apply that knowledge to complete its construction in about half the time. Once it was completed, Atlantis weighed about 151,315 pounds, which was about 3.5 tons lighter than Columbia.
Atlantis’ first mission was a success and it returned to Earth on October 7. Less than two months later, Atlantis made its second mission, which was also NASA’s second nighttime launch of a shuttle. However, the space shuttle Challenger disaster early the next year grounded Atlantis and all other shuttles for an extended period.
With the Atlantis and Mir linked, American Robert L. Gibson and Russian Vladimir Dezhurov co-commanded the largest spacecraft ever assembled – a mass of nearly 225 tons – for five days of joint operations and scientific research. At the end of the docking, the two vehicles undocked in what the crew dubbed a “cosmic ballet” complete with photos taken by the Russian cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz spacecraft.
Atlantis flew its longest mission over 14 days in 2007. During that mission, they delivered items to the Space Station and performed four spacewalks. In 2009, Atlantis brought a seven-member crew on a service mission to the Hubble Telescope.
Atlantis was supposed to be pulled from service in 2008 for scheduled repairs, but changes to the shuttle program prevented that. Instead, it was decided Atlantis would provide parts for Discovery and Endeavour. However, the shuttle was kept operational longer than intended. Atlantis’ last flight was supposed to be STS-132 in May 2010, but it was ultimately selected for the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, in July 2011.
Click here for more stamps and lots of commemorative covers honoring the Atlantis.
Click here to see a video tribute to Atlantis.