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Space Shuttle Orbiter ''Atlantis'' ( Space Shuttle s. She was the fourth operational shuttle built and After February 2003 is one of only two (Herself and Discovery) shuttles remaining in the fleet. The rest having been destoryed (Challenger and Columbia) or grounded. ''Atlantis'' was named in honor of the first United States Oceanographic research vessel, a two-masted sailing ship operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1930 to 1966 , as well as the mythical island of Atlantis . As the fourth shuttle, ''Atlantis'' benefited from experience gained in the construction of her three predecessors. On roll-out, she weighed nearly 7,000 lb (3 t) less than the first operational shuttle, '' Columbia '', and required about half the time to build. Structural spare parts also built along with ''Atlantis'' were used in the later construction of the fifth shuttle, '' Endeavour ''. ''Atlantis'' made her first flight in October 1985, conducting classified military activities, one of five such flights. In 1989, ''Atlantis'' deployed two planetary probes, Magellan and Galileo , and in 1991, she deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory . Beginning in 1995, ''Atlantis'' made seven straight flights to the Soviet Space Station Mir . On the second Mir flight, she delivered a docking module, and on the subsequent flights, she conducted astronaut exchanges. From November 1997 to July 1999, ''Atlantis'' underwent refitting operations, with about 165 modifications made to the shuttle, including the installation of the ''Multifunction Electronic Display System'', or ''glass cockpit''. She has made six flights since then, all involving assembly activities at the International Space Station . In her most recent flight, in October 2002, ''Atlantis'' and her six-person crew completed an 11-day mission to the International Space Station that involved three space walks. NASA scheduled the 27th launch for ''Atlantis'' for September 2005, during the window of September 9 - 24. It was ruled unsafe to fly the mission and the launch window was missed, due to the complications during ''Discovery'''s launch of mission STS-114 and NASA's subsequent suspension of all future shuttle launches. She was the designated STS-300 rescue orbiter for the STS-114 mission. Atlantis was scheduled to fly the STS-121 mission, but it was decided that ''Discovery'' would fly the mission instead. NASA Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale told Kennedy Space Center employees in mid-February 2006 that the ''Atlantis'' would be retired sometime in 2008 and would be used to supply parts for ''Discovery'' and ''Endeavour'' through the anticipated close of the Space Shuttle program in 2010. {Link without Title} ''Atlantis'' was chosen for early retirement to avoid a costly overhaul process that was slated to begin in 2008. FLIGHTS Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' has flown 26 flights, spent 220.40-days in space, completed 3,468 orbits, and flown 89,908,732 miles in total, As Of February 2003 . She last flew in October 2002. TRIVIA
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