Atlantis was the fourth operational Space Shuttle to be constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California, and it was delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida in April 1985. Atlantis was the only orbiter which lacked the ability to draw power from the International Space Station while docked there
Shuttle Atlantis at the space station on its last mission.
The space shuttle Atlantis spotted from an airplane window, just minutes after taking off for its final flight. photo by Ryan Graff
The space shuttle Atlantis stands shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 7, 2011. (Bill Ingalls-NASA/Reuters/Handout)