WILL ATLANTIS COME `HOME'?Byline: JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape SKEEN Staff Writer PALMDALE -- Space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Atlantis, rolled out of Rockwell International's Palmdale plant in 1985 as the fourth and final of the original shuttle fleet, could return to its birthplace if a local lawmaker gets her wish. Assemblywoman Sharon Runner Sharon Runner (born May 17 1954, Los Angeles) is a Californian politician. She has been a member of the California State Assembly since 2002. Runner, a Republican from Antelope Valley represents the 36th district. , R-Lancaster, has authored Assembly Joint Resolution 52, asking the California Legislature to send a request to the president and congressional leaders to send Atlantis to Palmdale after NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. retires the orbiter in 2008. ``It just makes sense for Atlantis to return home to Palmdale,'' Runner said. ``This resolution is an important step in the process. It will demonstrate that California is united behind Palmdale as the proper location.'' Palmdale's Air Force Plant 42 was the site of the construction of the entire space shuttle fleet. Atlantis was built between 1980 and 1985 at what was then a Rockwell facility. While seven shuttles were originally contemplated, Atlantis was the last in the budget until the 1986 destruction of Challenger led to the creation of Endeavour from spare parts Spare parts, also referred to as Service Parts is a term used to indicate extra parts available and in proximity to the mechanical item, such as a automobile, boat, engine, for which they might be used. Spare parts are also called “spares. . Atlantis was the last of the shuttles to be hauled by tractor through Lancaster -- up 10th Street East, later renamed Challenger Way -- to be loaded on a NASA 747 at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. for its first trip to Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) U.S. launch site for manned space missions. [U.S. Hist.: WB, So:562] See : Astronautics in Florida. By the time Endeavour was built in 1991, population growth had added enough light poles, traffic signals and trees to make impractical towing a 75-ton spacecraft as tall as a five-story building through the city, so it was flown straight out of Plant 42. Atlantis flew its first mission in October 1985, a secret one for the Defense Department. The orbiter has since flown 20 more missions, including launching the Magellan probe to Venus and the Galileo probe to Jupiter. ``Having been born and raised in the Antelope Valley, I have seen our aerospace industry grow and flourish here over the years,'' said Runner. ``While it was some time ago, I can remember when Palmdale first delivered Atlantis for service to NASA back in 1985.'' NASA plans to retire Atlantis after a mission tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2008. NASA plans to replace the space shuttle fleet with a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle
The Crew Exploration Vehicle (or CEV) was the conceptual component of the Vision for Space Exploration that later became known as the Orion spacecraft. . The agency plans later this year to select a contractor to develop the new spacecraft. The only space shuttle in a museum is the first one, Enterprise, which never went into space but was used for flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in the late 1970s. Enterprise is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, and is the most popular of the Smithsonian museums. It maintains the largest collection of aircraft and spacecraft in the world. annex at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Runner's bill will first be heard by the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media. No date has been set yet for that hearing. james.skeen(at)dailynews (661) 267-5743 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Atlantis lands at Edwards Air Force Base in November 1994. (2) Space shuttle Atlantis leaves the Antelope Valley atop a NASA 747 in September 1998 after overhaul at Air Force Plant 42. NASA |
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