A space shuttle left the International Space Station for the very last time Tuesday, heading home to end the 30-year run of a vessel that kept astronauts flying to and from orbit longer than any other U.S. rocket ship.
Atlantis slipped away as the two spacecraft soared nearly 250 miles above the Pacific.
All that remains of NASA's final shuttle voyage is the touchdown, targeted for the pre-dawn hours of Thursday back home in Florida.
As a final salute, the space station was rotating 90 degrees to provide never-before-seen views of the complex. The shuttle and its crew of four were to fly halfway around the station, cameras whirring aboard both vessels to record the historic event.
Emotions ran high, both in orbit and at Mission Control. The naval ship's bell aboard the space station chimed three times as Atlantis slowly backed away.
1 comment:
And to think where has this country gone. I remember as a kid we would stop class to watch the shuttle take off and land on TV. It was always televised. We were a proud nation who goals were endless only to what the mind could dream. To stop this program means people out of a job and we will have to use Russian spacecraft to get there. What are we thinking. Cancel the shuttle program and have no replacement craft in sight is dumb. I know it cost money but cut from somewhere else. Maybe Im wrong but it seems we were better off when we had vision, dreams, and desires to reach goals and develop. Its just a shame our country is in shambles and people just dont care or be bothered.
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