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1、ALastMissionfortheShuttleAtlantisAfter29yearsand132missions,NASA’sspaceshuttleshaveloggedanimpressivelistofaccomplishments,butthere’sonethingnoneofthefiveshipshasdonetodate:madeittotheendofitscareeralive.IftheshuttleAtlantis,whichiscurrentlyinorbitandisdockedtotheInternationalSpaceStat
2、ion(ISS),canhangonforninemoredaysandthentouchdownsafely,itwillglideintoawell-earnedretirement,leavingjusttwoshuttles-withonemoreflighteach-inthelongandtroubledprogram.WhatthatsaysforNASA’sfutureisanythingbutclear,butthecurrentmissionisatleastofftoagoodstart.Atlantishasbeentospace31time
3、sbefore-thefirstinOctober1985,whenRonaldReaganhadjustbegunhissecondterm,theDowJonesaveragestoodbelow1,400andBarackObamawasa24-year-oldcollegegradjustbeginninghisworkasacommunityorganizer.Twenty-fiveyearsisanawfullylongtimeforaspacecrafttofly,andAtlantishasmadethemostofthetimeit’sgotten
4、.ItsenttheGalileoprobeonitswaytoJupiterin1989andMagellanonitswaytoVenusin1990,anditflewthefirstsevenAmericanmissionstotheRussianspacestationMir.Itscurrentmissionisalower-profiledeliveryrun,deliveringcargoandthelastmajormoduletothenearlycompleteISS.LauncheduneventfullyonMay14,Atlantisre
5、achedanddockedwiththeISStwodayslater.EarlyMondaymorning,twomembersofthesix-mancrewbeganthefirstofthreespacewalksthatwillbenecessarytoinstallanewantennaonthestation,swapoutsomeofitsbatteriesandupgradeamanipulatorarm.Itwasthe237thAmericanspacewalksinceGeminiIV’sEdWhiteperformedthefirston
6、ein1965,andthe144thdevotedexclusivelytotheISS.ThebiggestcomponentAtlantisisdeliveringisaRussian-builtpodknownasRassvet(Dawn).Nearly20ft.(6m)longandweighing11,000lb.(about5,000kg),itwillbeusedforcargostorageandasadockingmoduleforincomingcrewandsupplyvehicles-kindofamudroomforthemassives
7、tation.Whetherallthemissions,allthemoney($50billionto$100billion,dependingonwhoseestimatesyoubelieve)andallthetimethathavebeendevotedtobuildingtheISShavebeenworthitisadecidedlyopenquestion.Eventhestation’sfiercestcriticsconcedethatit’sanextraordinarymachine-onethat,whencompleted,will
