This week in 2007, the space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-117, landed at Edwards Air Force Base following the completion of a successful 14-day mission to the International Space Station. The primary mission objective was to deliver the second and third starboard truss segments, S3 and S4, and another pair of solar arrays to the station. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space.
For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)