Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Atlantis, OV-104

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, May 20, 2024

1. Atlantis, OV-104 Marker

Inscription. Atlantis was named after the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966. Atlantis was the fourth operational Shuttle and made its first flight, STS-51J, on Oct. 3, 1985. This Shuttle sent probes to Venus and Jupiter and carried NASA's Destiny Laboratory to the International Space Station. STS-135 marked the 33rd mission and final flight for Atlantis and the Space Shuttle program. Atlantis is on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration. A significant historical year for this entry is 1985.

Location. 34° 42.641′ N, 86° 39.18′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. It is on Tranquility Base west of Old Madison Pike. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Flight Span 30 Years (here, next to this marker); Discovery, OV-103 (here, next to this marker); Astronaut Facts (a few steps from this marker); The Orbiter (a few steps from this marker); Seasoned Global Traveler (a few steps from this marker); Pathfinder Orbiter (within shouting distance of

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this marker); Main Engines (within shouting distance of this marker); External Tank (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.

Also see . . . An International Vehicle for a Changing World. The start of the structural assembly of OV-104’s crew module began on March 30, 1980. Over a year and a half later, engineers began assembling the various manufactured components that would eventually comprise the new orbiter’s aft fuselage on November 23, 1981 – just a few days after the completion of the second flight of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). (Submitted on May 28, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

Atlantis Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Atlantis Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 315 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 28, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on July 9, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.