Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands After Final Mission

By NASA/Bill Ingalls

Space shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), completing its 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program, early Thursday morning, July 21, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This also marked the end of the 30-year space shuttle program that began on April 12, 1981 with the launch of Coumbia (STS-1). It was the 33rd voyage for Atlantis, and the 135th for NASA's reusable winged spaceships. 

The 13-day mission to the International Space Station was to primarily deliver more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, other equipment and food to sustain the orbiting lab for the next year; more than half that amount in waste was also taken back to Earth. 

Commander Chris Ferguson led a veteran crew of four on this last mission, including pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim.

Pictured in the STS-135 crew portrait are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson (center right);
Doug Hurley (center left); Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus.
By NASA/Robert Markowitz 

Atlantis ended its journey following the steps of Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour. Enterprise was the first orbiter but never flew in space. Then came Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, respectively.

The orbiter will spend the rest of its days on display at the center. The remainder of the fleet: Endeavour will head to Los Angeles, Discovery to Washington, D.C., and Enterprise to New York. 

Space Shuttle Challenger, on January 28, 1986, broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members; while Space Shuttle Columbia, on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, disintegrated during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members.

There is currently no available American replacement for the shuttle. US will   be working on new manned flights which are to resume no earlier than 2014-2015. Until then astronauts  will be carried to the ISS by Russia’s Soyuz space craft.

Landing of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission