Space shuttle Atlantis has been launched as the final mission of NASA’s space shuttle program. It is on its way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 8.

STS-135 is the 135th shuttle flight, the 33rd flight for Atlantis and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

During the mission, it will visit the International Space Station, drop off about 9,500 pounds of supplies and spare parts and conduct an experiment to test new refueling and repair technology for satellites in orbit. It is a 12 day mission expected to land back to Earth on July 20.

Altantis carries 4 persons (compared to the usual crew of six or seven), space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and crewmates Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.

If you missed this spectacular event, watch the video of the final Space Shuttle launch below:

Please read my related posts:

1. Today’s Google Doodle: Hubble Space Telescope At 8:33:51 AM EDT twenty years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope was carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery....
2. Why is There a Missing Space on My Hard Disk? When I conducted my summer training for teachers, one of the most prevalent questions to me was regarding the “missing”...
3. UFC 135 | Jon Jones vs Rampage Jackson MATCHUP: Jon “Bones” Jones vs Quinton “Rampage” Jackson EVENT: UFC 135: Jones vs Rampage DATE: September 24, 2011 VENUE: Pepsi...
4. Mars Needs Moms, Mom Needs A Little Space Another movie about aliens is set to open on the same date as Battle: Los Angeles on March 11, 2011....
5. UFC 135 | Matt Hughes vs Josh Koscheck MATCHUP: Matt Hughes vs Josh “Kos” Koscheck EVENT: UFC 135: Jones vs Rampage DATE: September 24, 2011 VENUE: Pepsi Center...

If you want to receive my latest posts, please subscribe to my full feed RSS or have them delivered through email. Just enter your email address below and hit the Subscribe button.

Tags: atlantis, NASA, space shuttle, STS-135