Atlantis Lands, Space Shuttle Program Concludes

It's official: the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) has come to a halt, after more than 30 years as a global leader in space exploration. The orbiter Atlantis has just concluded its final mission ever, landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:57 am EDT (0957 GMT), Thursday, July 21.

This was the last flight of the SSP. The spacecraft managed a perfect touchdown, even if visibility was very low, and its path was only highlighted by a few spotlights. STS-135 Pilot Doug Hurley landed the space shuttle smoothly, after it successfully completed a 13-day mission in low-Earth orbit.

Originally, Atlantis was supposed to spend 8 days docked to the International Space Station (ISS) and 4 days en route to and from the orbital lab, but NASA mission managers decided to prolong the orbiter's stay at the facility by an extra day.

The STS-135 mission marks the completion of American participation in the ISS project for the time being. The United States are left without means of reaching LEO for the first time in 50+ years, and this is contributing to the bittersweet feeling people are having about today's landing.

“Mission complete, Houston. After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle found its place in history, and it's come to a final stop,” STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson told Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, once the spacecraft landed in Florida.

“We copy your wheels stop and we'll take this opportunity to congratulate you, Atlantis, as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great spacefaring nation who truly empowered this incredible spacecraft, which for three decades has inspired millions around the globe,” Barry Wilmore responded from Mission Control.

“The space shuttle changed the way we viewed the world, and it changed the way we view our Universe. There's a lot of emotion today, but one thing is indisputable: America is not going to stop exploring,” Ferguson added.

“Thank you Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, and our ship Atlantis. Thank you for protecting us and bringing this program to such a fitting end. God bless all of you. God bless the United States of America,” the NASA astronaut said.

Atlantis successfully completed its 33 trip to space, and the American space agency's 135th space shuttle flight. The first mission, flown by Columbia, took place on April 12, 1981.

Endeavour and Discovery are now already being decommissioned, and prepared for permanent displays at the California Science Center, in Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC, respectively.

Atlantis will be displayed at the KSC Visitors Complex, whereas the shuttle Enterprise, which never flew to space, but was used for flight tests, will go to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York City, Space reports.