Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station early this morning, ending the Shuttle/Station era of spaceflight. 

Atlantis will bring back several thousand pounds of waste and unneeded equipment – a return-to-Earth capability that won’t exist with commercial flights that are due to begin resupply work later this year.  Astronauts transferred more than 8,000 pounds of supplies carried up by Atlantis when it launched on July 8. 

Atlantis is on track for a 5:56 a.m. EDT landing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Complex on Thursday.  Should weather be an issue, Atlantis can try for a second opportunity at 7:32 a.m.  Should both times fail, NASA will look at other options including landing the shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  The Shuttle’s time in orbit is limited by supplies of liquid oxygen and hydrogen that are used to power its Connecticut-made fuel cells and life support systems.  Unlike the other two shuttles in the fleet, Atlantis is not powered by the International Space Station during docking and consumes its fuel throughout the duration of the mission. 

Space Shuttles and their crews helped build the orbiting complex, completing a total of 37 resupply and assembly missions since the first station supply flight in 1999. 

CTTechJunkie will be on hand for the landing at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday. 

Lon Seidman is the host and producer of “Lon.TV,” a consumer technology video show that is on a number of platforms including YouTube and Amazon. He creates in-depth, consumer-friendly product reviews and commentary. His YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views.

In addition to being a full-time content creator, Lon is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hartford (his alma mater) where he teaches a course in entrepreneurial content creation.

Prior to becoming a full-time creator, Lon was a partner at The Safety Zone, his family’s business that manufactures gloves and safety equipment. The company has locations around the globe and employs over 200 people worldwide. The Safety Zone was acquired by the Genuine Parts Corporation in 2016.

Lon is also active in public service, serving as the Chairman of the Essex Board of Education, a member of the Region 4 Board of Education, and as the Secretary / Treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. He was endorsed by both Democrats and Republicans for his re-election in 2021.

The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com.