Space Shuttle Atlantis's Last Launch: A Look Back At The Most Historic Images (PHOTOS)

On the morning of July 8, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center on its 33rd and final mission, also the last mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program.

Atlantis will dock with the International Space Station for 12 days and resupply the crew stationed there before making its final return to Earth on July 20.

To commemorate this historic last flight, we're taking a look back at the most iconic images from Atlantis's past missions. Take a look through these unforgettable images and vote for your favorites. Then, view more showstopping photos from the past missions of Space Shuttles Endeavour (retired May 2011) and Discovery (retired March 2011).

• July 1995

  Atlantis docks with Russia's Mir space station.

• May 2009

  Shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad.

• October 1985

  Space Shuttle Atlantis blasts off on its maiden voyage into space.

• August 1991

  Atlantis blasts off from Kennedy Space Center.

• September 1998

  The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ferries Atlantis back to Kennedy Space Station after refurbishments.

• August 1996

  Atlantis makes its way to the launch pad.

• May 1997

  Atlantis disturbs a flock of geese during a night launch.

• October 2002

  Astronaut David Wolf performs extravehicular activity on the International Space Station.

• February 2007

  Loaded onto a transporter vehicle, Atlantis rests in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

• May 2010

  During extravehicular activity, astronauts photograph Shuttle Atlantis while it is docked with the ISS.

• May 2011

  Space Shuttle Atlantis en route to the launch pad--for the last time.

• June 2007

  Space Shuttle Atlantis's payload doors open to reveal cargo bound for the Space Station.

• September 2006

  After undocking from the ISS, Atlantis begins its return to Earth.

Comments

[MichaelMcKLA]

05:42 PM on 07/09/2011

Wonder what NASA is going to do with that shuttle-transporting 747.

[morris111]

12:56 AM on 07/11/2011

One to the Smithsonian and one to the Wright-Patterson Museum. Or they could both go to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan.

[Herkybird]

02:33 AM on 07/11/2011

The bigger question is if in a year the Russians can't or won't be able to provide a shuttle to the ISS what will they do? Starve?

[MichaelMcKLA]

05:48 AM on 07/11/2011

I suppose deorbit the ISS, hope they survive reentry and try to hit the ocean near land...where food awaits. ;)

Seriously, the Russians don't need that kind of bad press.

[snowballinhell]

05:35 AM on 07/09/2011

Why is this a 'Green' article? Shouldn't be.

[Aladdin Sane1]

08:27 AM on 07/11/2011

For some reason HP calls its Science section "Green". Lame.

[2229]

01:36 PM on 07/08/2011

But the 'black projects' will continue.

[mcmutter]

08:37 AM on 07/09/2011

so will the waste, fraud and abuse .... and over-spending ....

[vincents]

01:25 PM on 07/08/2011

OK, now that space shuttle if finished it's time to start to explore the next frontier - can you say "Project Daedalus".

[gevan]

04:17 PM on 07/08/2011

Waiting for "Dawn" to rendevous with Vesta here.

[bryanzth]

07:12 PM on 07/08/2011

Cool! And very soon!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_%28spacecraft%29

BZ.

[bryanzth]

07:10 PM on 07/08/2011

Very interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Daedalus

BZ.

[willh101]

01:13 PM on 07/08/2011

That's one small step for debt reduction, one giant set-back for science and exploration.

[Stephanie Serer]

12:55 PM on 07/08/2011

They went up to resupply the crew stationed there and it's going to be their final flight? How long is that crew going to stay up there, and if they run out of supplies now that NASA's not going up anymore what does that mean for them. It hardly seems realistic that NASA will never send out another shuttle again.

[ellwood145]

02:03 PM on 07/08/2011

Russians will carry americans up from now on.

[Maney]

04:05 PM on 07/08/2011

Guess that had to happen sooner or later . . . We'll be looking to Mexico for jobs next.

[dsrhuff]

12:28 PM on 07/08/2011

Good riddance. We haven't left low earth orbit since the last moon landing 40 years ago. From the promise of the space program then to what it is now is a disgrace. If we went to the moon in 10 years we should have been to Mars in another 20. So that would bave been in the early 90s.

[dhinds]

02:51 PM on 07/09/2011

How many planets do you want the USA to invade, occupy and contaminate?

[morris111]

01:00 AM on 07/11/2011

We're one - for - one so far....

[ANCook]

09:47 AM on 07/08/2011

I used to have the Shuttle LEGO set when I was a kid. So awesome.

[couer]

10:29 AM on 07/08/2011

I hope you still have it. Great for future generations, inspiring, hopeful. :)

[Namvet6871]

07:15 AM on 07/08/2011

hey Obama now we have to count on the Russians? Better get a new Vehicle up!!!! Ya nixed NASA's budjet to death!

[jsarets]

07:59 AM on 07/08/2011

Bush cancelled the Shuttle, effective 2010, after the Columbia disaster. Obama authorized one additional flight, which is this STS-135 mission. Obama proposed a $6B increase in NASA's budget over 10 years, but that is unlikely to pass the final House appropriations bill.

We've always counted on the Russians to support the ISS. The large majority of ISS crew traffic has been carried on Soyuz spacecraft. The first ISS commander, NASA astronaut Bill Shepard, rode to the station on a Soyuz.

The Russian spacecraft is so important to the ISS because it's the only way for the crew members to leave the station in an emergency situation. Shuttle can't do that because its electrical power reactants run out after just a couple weeks on orbit.

NASA was trying to develop a permanent crew escape vehicle, the X-38, when the Columbia disaster happened and forced them to cancel that program and divert its funding to rescue the Shuttle program. So without an escape vehicle to complement Shuttle, Soyuz is the only viable crew transport.

Obama has been trying to expedite funding for the new commercial crew transports -- the SpaceX Dragon, Boeing CST-100, and SNC Dream Chaser -- but the failure of Congress to appropriate a budget for FY2011 as of yet has delayed those programs.

If you want to point fingers, it's Congress first, NASA second, and White House third. As much as I generally disagreed with President Bush, he was good on space policy, and Obama has also been pretty good, a few quibbles aside. If you want to see what's wrong with the American space program, the best place to start is with Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL).

[ThinkCreeps]

08:38 AM on 07/08/2011

Shelby loves his pork. Shame his pork's rotten.

[SoCalFamilyGuy]

12:44 PM on 07/08/2011

Funny how whenever anything bad or corrupt happens the leading bracket is followed by an R.....

[HeavyMetal]

09:43 PM on 07/11/2011

Bush cancelled the shuttle program in 2004.

[jsarets]

06:29 AM on 07/08/2011

The forward segment of the left-hand solid rocket booster lifting Atlantis into orbit for STS-135 is the very same segment used to launch Columbia on STS-1 back in 1981.

Crew suit up in about 30 minutes. NASA TV launch commentary beginning now:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

[Aladdin Sane1]

09:19 AM on 07/11/2011

Thanks for the link; I don't own a TV.

[jsarets]

04:45 AM on 07/08/2011

The STS-135 crew has received their wakeup call and are proceeding with their launch day routine. They will begin donning their launch and entry pressure suits in a little over two hours. At launch complex 39A, the external tank is has been filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and is in stable replenish.

[Jack Daniels Esq]

03:44 AM on 07/08/2011

Scarebus frogs must be so pissed that a busted ol' B747 is such a mule - in plain site

[morris111]

01:07 AM on 07/11/2011

They're not that "busted". NASA keeps them in tiptop condition.

[Jack Daniels Esq]

03:09 AM on 07/11/2011

figure of speech - play was on a380 nnuts

[jsarets]

03:35 AM on 07/08/2011

Both liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are in fast-fill. Weather is still forecasting 70% probability of violating launch commit criteria during the 10-minute launch window.

[jkpcguru]

03:33 AM on 07/08/2011

I'd like to print some of those photos on poster size paper and frame them. I know NASA has hi-res photos on their website. I wonder if there are any copyright restrictions on NASA photos. I would think not because NASA is a public entity.

It would cost me dearly though. Fedex office charges between $80 and $100 for poster size prints. Maybe i can find a cheaper printer online.

[SamEllison]

02:21 AM on 07/08/2011

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Beats counting sheep!

Go Atlantis!