Space shuttle Atlantis is towed into the Orbiter Processing Facility, or OPF, where processing Atlantis for another flight will take place. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST to complete the STS-122 mission. Towing normally begins within four hours after landing and is completed within six hours unless removal of time-sensitive experiments is required on the runway. In the OPF, turnaround processing procedures on Atlantis will include various post-flight deservicing and maintenance functions, which are carried out in parallel with payload removal and the installation of equipment needed for the next mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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