Saturday 23 July 2011

End of an era: Atlantis returns to Earth

Atlantis has safely touched down in Florida, bringing America's space shuttle programme to an end after 30 years. The aircraft completed the 135th and last shuttle mission as it landed at Kennedy Space Centre.


Space shuttle Atlantis crewmembers (L-R) Mission Specialist Rex Waldheim, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Commander Chris Ferguson stand together with firefighters after landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011.


NASA workers pose in front of the Space Shuttle Atlantis after it landed at Kennedy Space Center July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Atlantis was the final shuttle mission for NASA, ending the 30 years of the shuttle program


Space shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011. The space shuttle Atlantis glided home through a moonlit sky for its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, completing a 30-year odyssey for NASA's shuttle fleet

Space shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011.


Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Atlantis was the final shuttle mission for NASA, ending the 30 years of the shuttle program


Space shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011


Space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 21, 2011.The space shuttle Atlantis glided home through a moonlit sky for its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, completing a 30-year odyssey for NASA's shuttle fleet.


Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Atlantis was the final shuttle mission for NASA, ending the 30 years of the shuttle program


Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.


Space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 21, 2011. The space shuttle Atlantis glided home through a moonlit sky for its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, completing a 30-year odyssey for NASA's shuttle fleet


The crew of the space shuttle Atlantis (L-R) Commander Chris Ferguson, Sandy Magnus, Rex Walheim and Pilot Doug Hurley wave farewell at the end of the last crew news conference from aboard a shuttle in this image from NASA TV July 20, 2011.


Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The landing brings to a close the 30-year era of the space shuttle program that began in 1981, and has included 135 missions.

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