Universe Today
[/caption]KENNEDY SPACE CENTER – The
last shuttle
that will ever blast to space has journeyed from the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building out to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in anticipation of liftoff on July 8 at 11:38 a.m.
It was a proud and bittersweet moment for all the shuttle team members from top to bottom as
Space Shuttle Atlantis
was rolling out overnight to Launch Pad 39 A, at the same time that
Space Shuttle Endeavour
was plunging into Earth's atmosphere for the scorching reentry and landing back at the shuttle landing strip at KSC.
Thousands of NASA and contractor employees and their families had been given special passes to witness the dramatic nighttime sojourn of
Atlantis
in a morale booster event as she emerged from inside the VAB on her way to the pad for what will be the grand finale of the 30 year long Space Shuttle Program.
[caption id="attachment_86273" align="alignleft" width="395" caption="STS-135 Crew during final rollout of Shuttle Atlantis to Launch Pad 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center
STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, left, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim talk to media as their vehicle, space shuttle Atlantis, makes its final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at KSC in Florida.
Credit: Chase Clark"]
[/caption]I was privileged to watch and photograph Atlantis final journey from inside the VAB and the roof of the Launch Control Center (LCC). The LCC is the brain which commands and controls every aspect of Shuttle Launch operations.
The 12 day STS-135 mission will deliver the Raffaello logistic module to the International Space Station (ISS) which is loaded with critical spare parts, crew supplies and science gear that will be transferred to the massive orbiting outpost. Raffaello is a multipurpose logistics module built in Italy.
The STS-135 mission is a bonus for the shuttle program and was only officially added to the manifest in January 2011 as NASA sought funding from the Obama Administration and the US Congress.
The all veteran four person crew is led by Shuttle Commander Christopher Ferguson. He is joined by Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
[caption id="attachment_86282" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Atlantis in High Bay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_86284" align="aligncenter" width="386" caption="Atlantis final journey to Launch Pad 39A. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_86285" align="aligncenter" width="386" caption="Atlantis final journey to Launch Pad 39A. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_86281" align="aligncenter" width="386" caption="Atlantis mated to External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters inside the VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_86280" align="aligncenter" width="386" caption="Atlantis Ready for Final Journey to Launch Pad 39A for STS-135 flight. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_86283" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Close up of the Atlantis Crew cabin. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_86287" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Atlantis exits the VAB on the crawler pathway to Pad 39 A. Thousands of KSC employees witness Atlantis final journey to the shuttle launch pad. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_86293" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="Ken Kremer with Space Shuttle Atlantis inside VAB High Bay 1. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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Photos from Alan Walters for Universe Today: awaltersphoto.com
Photos from Mike Deep for Universe Today
Read my prior features about the Final Shuttle mission, STS-135, here:
Atlantis Goes Vertical for the Last Time
Atlantis Rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building with Final Space Shuttle Crew for July 8 Blastoff
Read my features about the final mission of Endeavour, STS 134, starting here
Era of Space Shuttle Endeavour Ends with June 1 landing at the Kennedy Space Center