By Deborah Byrd in
Blogs | Space on Jul 10, 2011

Final launch: Space shuttle Atlantis liftoff seen from above

Atlantis blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 10:29 a.m. CDT (15:29 UTC) on July 8, 2011 for a final mission. This amazing photo captured the launch from above.

NASA’s Shuttle Training Aircraft – used to teach astronauts to fly the shuttle itself – caught this beautiful image of final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on July 8, 2011. The final mission: STS-135. (sniff!)

Via Kennedy Space Center via Geekologie via Space.com

Atlantis left Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:29 a.m. CDT (15:29 UTC). The shuttle’s final mission: the International Space Station (ISS) for a last supply run.

Space shuttle Atlantis up and away one last time

Striking NASA photos show last Space Shuttle launch from above

Deborah Byrd is Founder and President of EarthSky, which she created in 1991. EarthSky is a digital publisher that brings science and nature to millions of people around the world. Byrd has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. Besides blogging, Byrd is Editor-in-Chief of all EarthSky websites and social media outlets, and she oversees EarthSky’s science podcast series in English and Spanish. A science communicator and educator for 35 years, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and as a vital tool for the 21st century. Astrophysics, the night sky and imagining space travel remain among her most enduring lifelong passions.