30-year space shuttle era to end with Atlantis STS-135 landing

Watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

"On an evening that is draped in emotion and steeped in history, down the hallowed halls of Mission Control here in Houston, this is likely the final shift in the history of space shuttle program." —NASA commentator Rob Navias, on the live-streamed coverage of shuttle Atlantis' landing.

Space shuttle Atlantis' wakeup song for landing day was "God Bless America" by Kate Smith, played at 9:29 p.m. EDT, for the entire crew and all the men and women who have worked for the shuttle program over the years. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim will begin deorbit preparations a little before 1 a.m. EDT for their planned landing at 5:56 a.m. at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

More at SpaceFlightNow, and of course at NASA.gov. Astronauts have been tweeting from space. You can track the shuttle's descent live in Google Earth, too: KMZ. For groovy ambient electronica mixed with the live NASA audio, tune into Soma FM's Mission Control feed.

Boing Boing pal Miles O'Brien recorded a video farewell to the shuttle mission for the PBS Newshour.

When Atlantis lands and is retired, America will no longer have a vehicle with which to bring humans into space. Yes, NASA or private industry plan to deliver that eventually, but for now, we'll be renting space from Russia. As you might imagine, many who were involved in the US space program during the Cold War era are none too happy at this strange turn of history.

Consider this line in this blog post a moment of silence and respect for all of the astronauts, workers, and families who have been part of America's space shuttle era over these past three decades—and for those astronauts who did not return.

Godspeed.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Brainspore

It would be so funny if they veered off a few degrees on that final approach and landed in Cuba.
- TEKNA2007
  
  > veered off a few degrees on that final approach
  
  Finally using some of that cross-range capability the Air Force wanted.
querent

Godspeed.
squidink

Thank you, Xeni.
Joshua Ochs

I’ve been markedly critical in the past, but…

Thank you, Xeni. This is very sad history in the making.
penguinchris

I remember playing the 3D space shuttle landing simulator back in the day on the home computer, as a kid. I came across the box at my parent’s house a few months ago.

I remember being disappointed that there was nothing more to the game than landing – I think when I convinced my parents to buy it for me (at some kind of computer show they used to have at the fairgrounds) I thought there was more you could do.

But, it was about as detailed as possible. I think it was basically the same simulator they used at NASA (sans the hardware obviously). Actually I guess these days it’d be rather boring except for super-nerd flight simulator types. I played it quite a bit though, and I remember it more vividly than the actual games I played at the time.
Anonymous

Yesterday the Moon, today the museum, tomorrow…maybe a final design document for de SLS.

And 10 years from now, an operational vector with no defined or budgeted mission.
- spejic
  
  Humans currently have one probe orbiting Mercury, one probe orbiting Venus, two orbiting the Moon, three orbiting and one roving Mars, one orbiting Saturn, three more en-route to their locations, others waiting to launch, one close to the edge of the solar system, and one past it. An actual fraking working space robot outside the fraking solar system.
  
  We are in the golden age of space exploration.
  - Anonymous
    
    spejic:
    
    Robotic Missions =/= Human Spaceflight Program.
    
    And when the SLS makes its maiden flight, it still wont have a mission, one thing is to have a vector, another is to have the budget and political support for an expensive mission for said vector.
    
    Also, we have those robotic missions that you mentioned, because they were planned and funded years ago, have you checked the roadplan for the next ten years?, all the latest cancelations?, the budget cuts?, all the descoping?.
    
    Curiosity will probably be the last Flagship mission in a loooong time, and even that mission was/is in danger of a 2 year delay for being mere 44mil past the budget line.
    
    It looks like the end of the golden era of space exploration.
    
    Good thing Roskosmos is starting to do science missions again.
OoerictoO

what’s the red blob with the crosshairs on it off the coast of maine?
Anonymous

As a Brit, having watched the shuttle program with interest over the majority of my life I can honestly say you guys (NASA) rocked my world, and beyond.

Godspeed to them.

Thanks Xeni.
JennB

Heard it in Kissimmee. My 9yr old son and I were curled up on the sofa watching Dr. Who this morning and I had forgot about the landing. After hearing the extremely loud booms I looked over at my son, who nearly jumped out of his own skin, and his eyes were the size of dinner plates lol. I told him it was okay and it was just the space shuttle landing. His one word response… “EPIC” followed by a giant smile….
macmbr

With Atlantis captured on the predawn runway with infrared cameras, APU venting rhythmically, I’m reminded of a steam locomotive waiting in the station.

My, how time flies!
TheSpaghettiman

Finally. Now we can get some work done.
wrecksdart

My soundly sleeping self was awoken this gentle morning by two loud “BOOM” noises, the second following immediately on the heels of the first. I thought for a second, “Is this something to be concerned about? Gunshot? No, different sound than that. Explosion? No, no sirens to accompany it, and besides, that just wasn’t it.”
As I’m still going through the list of possibilities, my much smarter wife says, “The space shuttle’s back!”
Of course! The twin sonic boom of the shuttle passing to the southeast of Orlando and decelerating rapidly in the humid air over Florida. My wife jumped out of bed and checked to see if it was visible, but we have trees and mosquitoes in abundance down here, so no visuals this time.
Normally, I don’t like living in Florida even though I’m a native. It’s too hot, the drivers are awful, and we have to travel some distance to actually witness a real live hill of any sort.
But this time, with a manned spacecraft returning to Earth, albeit the last time this particular vehicle will do so…I have to say it was pretty damned cool to hear the history in the making.
- awjtawjt
  
  Has anyone else here personally heard the signature twin sonic booms of a shuttle re-entry?
  
  I was playing in my grandmother’s back yard in the mid 80′s when I heard them, once. I saw a tiny thing streak across the blue sky on its way home. It was way cool.
  - Anonymous
    
    Speeding up the 405 late morning after hearing a last minute report that the landing was re-routed to California, having never witnessed a landing in person, we took the 14 freeway, about an hour north of LA. Our son was 2 or 3, so he really doesn’t remember it today. After driving while listening to a live report from a local AM station, we quickly pulled off the side of the road, ran up to the RxR tracks and started searching the skies. The first sign was the chase jets. Then, like 2 rifle shots going off next to my head, we heard them. BAM… BAM! What I had always imagined to be a lower, softer “thud” sound, was actually quite loud and very sharp. Perhaps it was our proximity to the orbiter, but it blew me away. Within a minute or so, a tiny white dot could be seen almost directly above our heads. It came down in concentric spirals, gliding and descending as it grew slightly larger to the naked eye. As it made its final approach, it disappeared over the horizon but not before becoming very clear and allowing us an opportunity to see it’s full outline, color and absolute beauty as it soared overhead.Â
    I was 8 when STS-1 took off. I refused to go to school that day. My dad agreed. I watched it on an old Cathode Ray Tube TV, with only 6 local channels broadcasting in Joplin, MO. I turned 40 this year.Â
    I am in a hotel, in bed typing into my iphone on the last day of a nearly 3 week road trip having driven across the US with our son, who celebrated his 5th bday just this Monday, to watch the final STS-135 take off in person. It was amazing, breathtaking, incredible and as magnificent as I ever could have imagined. I am grateful for the opportunity to witness that with my son. I am grateful to the women and men who have given their lives and livelihood to this great era. I do not see this as an end, only the next step in the future of the human experience. I eagerly await that next step. This is no Golden Age of space exploration, this is merely the infancy.Â
    I bid you peace.Â
Anonymous

I work at KSC & believe me, it was very sad & heartbreaking to hear the booms, knowing that was it-the end.
rijrunner1

SpaceX is already flying a manned capsule and Boeing has one nearing completion.

What is coming to an end is large programs. Combining R&D with basic production. We need basic transportation. Let NASA concentrate on the next stage of development past that point.
awjtawjt

Oh, and we should also pay our respects to all the engineers and technicians who are out of work. There are many seasoned space professionals out of work now, in Houston and other places, including some of my family. It’s sad these talented folks have to hang the shingle now.
- Xeni Jardin
  
  right on.
Anonymous

Reminds me of when Nixon killed the Apollo program.
VibroCount

Quick! Everyone into the ape costumes.