July 21, 2011

Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 candrea k thomas@nasa gov

Michael Curie Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 michael curie@nasa gov

Kyle Herring Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kyle j herring@nasa gov

RELEASE: 11-240

NASA'S PROUD SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ENDS WITH ATLANTIS LANDING

Agency Ushers In Next Era Of Exploration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla -- Wrapping up 30 years of unmatched achievements and blazing a trail for the next era of U S human spaceflight, NASA's storied Space Shuttle Program came to a "wheels stop" on Thursday at the conclusion of its 135th mission

Shuttle Atlantis and its four-astronaut crew glided home for the final time, ending a 13-day journey of more than five million miles with a landing at 5:57 a m EDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida It was the 26th night landing (20th night and 78th total landings at Kennedy) and the 133rd landing in shuttle history

"The brave astronauts of STS-135 are emblematic of the shuttle program -- skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds who propelled America to continued leadership in space with the shuttle's many successes," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said "This final shuttle flight marks the end of an era, but today, we recommit ourselves to continuing human spaceflight and taking the necessary - and difficult - steps to ensure America's leadership in human spaceflight for years to come "

Since STS-1 launched on April 12, 1981, 355 individuals from 16 countries flew 852 times aboard the shuttle The five shuttles traveled more than 542 million miles and hosted more than 2,000 experiments in the fields of Earth, astronomy, biological and materials sciences

The shuttles docked with two space stations, the Russian Mir and the International Space Station Shuttles deployed 180 payloads, including satellites, returned 52 from space and retrieved, repaired and redeployed seven spacecraft

The STS-135 crew consisted of Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim They delivered more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, spare equipment and other supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module - including 2,677 pounds of food - that will sustain space station operations for the next year The 21-foot long, 15-foot diameter Raffaello brought back nearly 5,700 pounds of unneeded materials from the station

A welcome-home ceremony for the astronauts will be held Friday, July 22, in Houston The public is invited to attend the 4 p m CDT event at NASA's Hangar 990 at Ellington Field Gates to Ellington Field will open at 3:30 p m The ceremony will be broadcast live on NASA Television For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

STS-135 was the 135th and final shuttle flight, Atlantis' 33rd flight and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance

For more information about the STS-135 mission, visit:

http://www nasa gov/shuttle

For information about the space station, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

For information on NASA's future exploration activities, visit:

http://www nasa gov/next

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

https://aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/STS_ISS_STATUS/example/example com/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<[program_url]/list/[list]>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:[list_owner_email]>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

[physical_address]