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Space shuttle Atlantis docks at the ISS
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CNTV, July 11, 2011
In an emotion packed flight, Atlantis has arrived at the International Space Station with a year's worth of supplies. It's the final docking at the space station ever by a NASA shuttle.
Cries of joy and laughter filled the connected vessels once the hatches swung open and the two crews exchanged hugs, handshakes and kisses.
This time, Atlantis is delivering more than 4 tons of food, clothes and other space station provisions - an entire year's worth, to keep the complex going in the looming post-shuttle era.
Atlantis and its crew will spend more than a week at the orbiting complex. The shuttle flight currently is scheduled to last 12 days, but NASA likely will add a 13th day to give the astronauts extra time to complete all their chores.
Only four astronauts are flying aboard Atlantis, as NASA has kept the crew to a minimum in case of an emergency.
With the retirement of Discovery and Endeavour, there is no backup shuttles for a possible rescue if Atlantis is seriously damaged. If that happens, the shuttle astronauts would have to move into the space station for months and rely on Russian Soyuz capsules to get back home.
This was the 46th docking by a space shuttle to the International Space Station and also its last.
Atlantis is being retired after this flight, ending the 30-year shuttle program.
NASA is getting out of the launching-to-orbit business, so it can start working on human trips to asteroids and Mars.
