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!)
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
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.