Let's Light this Shuttle One More Time! : Historic final launch of Atlantis STS135

NASA Commemorative Patch

Stayed up late last Friday 8 July 2011 to watch the shuttle Atlantis being launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. It blasted off at 11.29pm our local time. This is the last launch of  the 30 year US shuttle program which started in 1981 with the shuttle Columbia.

Atlantis blasting off into history on Friday 8 July 2011- Credit:NASA

Atlantis blasted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT (1529 GMT) from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, thrilling huge throngs of spectators who had descended on Florida's Space Coast to see the swan song of an American icon. NASA estimated that between 750,000 and 1 million people turned out to watch history unfold before their eyes.

"On behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of this true American icon," shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts just before launch. "And so for the final time, Fergie, Doug, Sandy and Rex, good luck, Godspeed and have a little fun up there."

"Thanks to you and your team, Mike. We're not ending the journey today, we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end," Atlantis' commander Chris Ferguson replied. "Let's light this shuttle one more time Mike and witness this nation at its best. The crew of Atlantis is ready to launch."

The above were the exchanges between the Atlantis shuttle commander Ferguson and the launch Director at Kennedy Space Center.

After 135 launches over 30 years, the space shuttle will never streak into the sky again. 

The three remaining shuttles, Discovery, Endeavor and Atlantis are being retired to the museum. The other two shuttles, Challenger and Columbia met with accidents in 1986 and 2003 respectively with the loss of 14 astronauts. All together more than $200 Billion had been spent on the program over the period.

The four Atlantis crew with Commander Ferguson on the right

: Credit NASA

Space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and crew mates Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim are on their way to the International Space Station 

The 12-day mission will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with more than 8,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to sustain the International Space Station (ISS) operations after the shuttles are retired. STS-135 is the 135th shuttle flight, the 33rd flight for Atlantis and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to the station assembly and maintenance.

May Atlantis return safely to earth as scheduled on 20 July 2011.

It has been an awesome human endeavor and fantastic space mission on the part of  USA to run the program enabling many scientific research to be undertaken, the launching of the Hubble telescope to study the universe and the establishment of the International Space Station (ISS). No wonder people are rather emotional and sentimental following the termination of the program.

I cannot help but marvel at those skilful people who are involved in this industry for the last 30 years and the brave and intelligent men and women who were astronauts carrying out individual  mission. Many useful spinoffs from this space program have improved the fields of e,g  health, electronics, engineering and telecommunications and not to forget the old Hubble being tuneups  many times by the shuttle crews over the years to give us some of the most spectacular views of the universe!

Thank you to the vision of the leaders of America, the world has also benefited from your dream. And farewell to all three shuttles, the astronauts who operated them and all NASA staff who are also being laid off because of the program's termination. You are all indeed the greatest team in the world!