Space shuttle Atlantis touched down at 5:57 a.m. at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles. Those are pretty amazing statistics. The end of an era.
The low-hanging clouds did not make for great viewing of Friday's launch, but it made for a great photograph. I love this view, with the launch pads and the beach and the ocean and the marshes. (NASA photo)
The Max Brewer Bridge leading to the Space Center had a few people on it watching the launch! (NASA photo)
After a nearly perfect countdown on a day when the rain stayed away just long enough, we had a beautiful final shuttle launch. Godspeed, Atlantis! Job well done, NASA and contractors.
