The Space Shuttle Atlantis carried the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) module in its cargo bay in March 1992 during the STS-45 mission.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis carried the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) module in its cargo bay in March 1992 during the STS-45 mission. The ATLAS-1 instruments are back dropped against the Atlas Mountains and dunes in the Iguidi Dune Sea near Mali in the western Sahara. The ATLAS instruments turned the shuttle into an observatory for studying Earth and the atmosphere. One of the key jobs was to calibrate data from satellites monitoring Earth. This data was critical for ensuring ozone measurements from space were accurate. The ATLAS mission was part of a series of Spacelab missions managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Image credit: NASA