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Back in Orbit

Spanish Translation

By Andrea Delbanco

Rockets roared as the space shuttle Atlantis lifted into the sky on September 9. Atlantis was headed for the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a giant space lab in the sky. Scientists from many countries work there.

The station was built in 1998. It is 220 miles above Earth. Its first permanent crew arrived in 2000. Since then, there have always been at least two astronauts on board.

Atlantis's mission is to build the first major addition to the ISS since late 2002. Work to build the station stopped in February 2003 so that scientists could find ways to make shuttle trips safer.

Last week, it was back to business on the ISS. All six members of the crew trained for four and a half years for this difficult mission. Atlantis astronauts took three space walks. Each walk lasted more than six hours. The team added giant solar panels to the ISS. The panels use the sun's energy to make power for the station.

Next Steps in Space
If all goes well, Atlantis will return to Earth this week. NASA is planning 14 shuttle flights to finish work on the ISS. When it is done, the space lab will be bigger than a five-bedroom house.

NASA plans to retire the shuttles in 2010. New spacecrafts are in the works. They may one day take U.S. astronauts to the moon, Mars and maybe even beyond.

Find out how astronauts suit up for space.

Next: A Discovery Worth Chirping About