It’s the end of an era today with the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. The launch is the final mission for the space shuttle program.
Seven million pounds of thrust from the shuttle’s rocket booster carried the vehicle into orbit one last time, at speeds of up to 19,000 miles per hour, for an expected meeting with the International Space Station on Sunday.
“The sense of history, the legacy of what has happened here over three decades, is palpable,” a Mission Control spokesman said before the launch, noting that “30 years and three months ago, it was Columbia on the launch pad awaiting lift off.”
The crew — Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim — had arrived at the launch pad’s White Room at 8:06 a.m. ET and began the boarding process, undeterred by reports that there was only a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for blast off.
“For the final time, good luck, godspeed, and have a little fun up there,” launch director Mike Leinbach told the shuttle crew before lift off.
The shuttle’s fuel tanks were fully loaded by 5:00 a.m. ET and other technical preparations had been finalized, NASA said. All that stands in the way of the launch is a thunderstorm brewing off the Florida coast.
The gloomy weather predictions in the days leading up to the historic final flight did not deter crowds: At least 750,000 spectators were gathered at nearby vantage points early Friday, AFP reported, eager to catch a glimpse of the 30-year space shuttle program’s swan song.
NASA had been predicting nearly 1,000,000 viewers for Atlantis’ final blast off.
At Kennedy Space Center, staff were in a contemplative mood. Thousands are set to lose their jobs after the mission as NASA enters a period of reduced activity.
“It is a sad time,” NASA astronaut Terry Virts said, reflecting on what he called the “passion” of many of his coworkers. “The sad part about it is that we won’t have an American ability to launch astronauts anymore.”
The highly-anticipated flight of Atlantis will be the 135th and last for the U.S. space shuttle program, leaving Russia’s space capsules as the sole option for astronauts heading to and from the International Space Station.
On a somewhat lighter note :
Nils, a friend of mine in Germany caught video from the Shuttle tank – it may not look like much, but – as far as I know – it is the first recording by an amateur receiver.
Lucky he got it at the *very last* Shuttle launch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v?=0WrhHRchjAc&feature=channel_v?ideo_title