Shuttle Atlantis left the International Space Station Tuesday closing the thirty year shuttle program and the 12-year construction and servicing of the orbital outpost, the biggest legacy of NASA’s space shuttles.

It was an emotional sight for the flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Control Center as they watched
Atlantis commander Chris Ferguson and pilot Doug Hurley drove away the spacecraft at 2:28 am EDT to travel 250 miles to the Pacific Ocean. It signaled the end of the $100 billion 16 country collaboration that saw 37 of 135 shuttle missions to the Space Station.

The nine-day mission saw the crew carry over 5 tons worth of food, clothing, equipment and science experiments, and enough supplies to bridge the potential one-year gap of US cargo missions to the station.
Shuttle Atlantis will arrive at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday 5:57 am Thursday. This will start the United States’ absence in sending American astronauts to the facility. Two private space companies namely Space Exploration Technologies and Orbital Sciences Corp., will take over resupply of the station starting 2012. Russia, Europe, and Japan will also send missions to the station.

During their absence, NASA will rely on Russian Soyuz capsules in sending astronauts to the Space Station for an amount more than $50 million per astronaut. Several companies like Boeing, Space Exploration Technologies, and Sierra Nevada Corp are building passenger spacecrafts but they would not be ready until 2015.

Prior to their departure from the Space Station, Ferguson and his crew presented a small American flag to the station crew. It was attached to the shuttle Columbia when it made its maiden mission in April 1981. NASA will mount the flag again on the first of its spaceships that will launch missions to asteroids, the moon, and other destinations beyond the orbital facility.

When it arrives Thursday, Shuttle Atlantis will stay at the Kennedy Space Center where it is due for retirement thanks largely to the efforts of Democrat Senator Bill Nelson.
U.S.

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