Thread: Atlantis- The FINAL Launch

NASA Starts Fueling Atlantis For Afternoon Launch At KSC


NASA is gassing shuttle Atlantis up for what is expected to be its grand finale, an International Space Station assembly and outfitting mission slated to blast off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:20 p.m.

NASA engineers in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center started the process of loading more than 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the shuttle's 15-story external tank at 4:55 a.m. The propellant-loading operation will take about three hours to complete.

The Atlantis astronauts got a wake-up call at 5 a.m. and will spend the next several hours getting ready for their big day. At 10 a.m., the astronauts will start donning launch-and-entry suits and then 30 minutes later, they will depart crew quarters at the KSC Operations and Checkout Building and head to launch pad 39A.

The crew will arrive at the pad and begin the boarding process about 11 a.m. The ship's hatch is to be closed for flight at 12:15 p.m.

The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions for launch. The only concern is a slight chance that clouds might build over the shuttle runway. In that case, mission commander Ken Ham might be unable to see the concrete strip during an emergency landing. So that would be a "no-go" condition.

Atlantis will be landing in about 40 minutes.

boom boom!!!

They are Home Safe.

Here's what I just wrote in my blog

As always, we were heard and felt the two booms a short while ago. As always, the cat was terrified, and tore through the house, looking for a hiding place. And, as always, we were grateful.
Yes, grateful - grateful that our shuttle has once again brought our space heroes safely back to earth, under the expert guidance of the incredible expertise of our folks at NASA. As always, for almost the last time... and (unless Washington approves a special request) the very last time for Atlantis.


Atlantis has flown more than 120 million miles over more than two decades, serving the US human space flight program well. Since 1981, she's done so much for us ... she's been to Hubble, docked with Mir, launched a probe to Jupiter, and, of course made all those trips to the ISS.




Today's landing marks the beginning of the end of an era, with only two more shuttle missions scheduled - one for each of the two remaining shuttles. It's been a glorious era ... and we're sad to see it drawing to a close. Sad for too many reasons to go into here, but I'm sure there are many who will understand.