Atlantis Begins Final Shuttle Mission

I can remember watching the space shuttle launch for the first time, I just cannot recall where I was. I called the boys in to watch and told them that when I was their age I saw the shuttle go up for the first time and now they are going to see it go up for the last time. They thought it was pretty cool to watch. They are holding up their fingers with how old they are. Sophia did not want to be any part of the picture so I had to bribe her with the remote and this picture was as good as we could get.

Atlantis and its four astronauts left Earth for the final space shuttle mission, which will cap off an amazing 30-year program of exploration, which launched great observatories, built an International Space Station, and taught us more about how humans can live and work in space.

With the International Space Station flying 220 miles high and east of Christchurch, New Zealand, Atlantis left Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:29 a.m. EDT. There was a slight delay at T-31 seconds while retraction of the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm, or "Beanie Cap," was verified. Atlantis will dock with the space station on Sunday.

The STS-135 post-launch news conference will begin at 1:10 p.m. EDT from NAS's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participating will be NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager and chairman of the pre-mission Mission Management Team Mike Moses, and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. The news conference will be carried live on NASA TV and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program, STS-135, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis carries a crew of four and the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station. The STS-135 astronauts are: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.