Space shuttle Atlantic successfully lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT, leaving behind a billowing cloud of smoke as it hurtled skyward. The four crew members, Commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley, and mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, will write the final chapter in shuttle program history on this last mission. The Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the space station on Sunday
Prior to the launch, Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, offered these words to the astronauts, "On behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of this true American icon. And so for the final time, Fergie, Doug, Sandy and Rex, good luck, Godspeed and have a little fun up there."
Atlantis' commander Chris Ferguson responded instantly. "Thanks to you and your team, Mike. We're not ending the journey today, we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end. Let's light this shuttle one more time Mike, and witness this nation at its best. The crew of Atlantis is ready to launch." Commander Ferguson captured the feelings of many Americans on this occasion. Atlantis, along with all of the space program predecessors, symbolized American ingenuity and its people's can-do attitude. John Glenn voiced his disappointment about the demise of the shuttle program during an interview with Brian Williams yesterday on NBC Nightly News. When Williams asked Glenn whether he would feel differently if a new iteration of space vehicle were ready to go, he responded affirmatively.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined area roadways, beaches, and crowded into Cape Canaveral to capture the launch on camera. As TV cameras panned the area, people cheered, clapped, and saluted when Atlantis lifted off. I chose not to go early this morning because Pinellas County was experiencing a mini monsoon, and I erroneously concluded they would scrap the launch. Bad call!
The future of US space exploration now rests in the hands of commercial aviation. One can only hope that the effort will greatly exceed what we have experienced in the last decade on flights in this country. A part of me felt a great sense of loss today, as I remembered watching the Apollo moon landing with my family while waiting for our table at one of our favorite restaurants. Other patrons had also gathered around the TV, and watching men walk on the moon absolutely mesmerized us. I'm certain this journey has a bittersweet flavor for the crew. May they return to America safely, because, if a problem arises, we have no means of retrieving them. They'll have to hitch a ride on a Russian spacecraft.
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