Shuttle Landing Chat: Seth Borenstein, AP Science Reporter, Answers Your Questions (LIVE Q&A)

Space shuttle Atlantis landed early Thursday morning at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

The touchdown marks not only the end of Atlantis' final flight, but also the end of NASA's 30-year shuttle program, which began with Columbia's launch in 1981. Over the last few decades, NASA's space program has witnessed tragedies, such as the Challenger disaster, as well as numerous triumphs, including stunning spacewalks, successful scientific research, and a slew of history-making "firsts," such as sending the first woman to space.

"After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop," commander Christopher Ferguson said as Atlantis returned to earth.

The retirement of the space shuttle program comes following George Bush's decision in 2004 to cut spending for the space shuttle program to invest in returning to the moon and visiting Mars, the AP wrote in a Q&A about NASA's program.

The AP additionally explains, " President Barack Obama dropped the moon mission. His plan has NASA building a giant rocket to send astronauts to an asteroid, and eventually Mars, while turning over to private companies the job of carrying cargo and astronauts to the space station."

This morning, from 8 am to 9 am EST, AP science reporter Seth Borenstein, who has been covering today's shuttle landing and NASA more broadly, is here to answer any questions you might have about the space program. What was the landing like? What's next? When will we get to Mars? Ask him anything about NASA, its missions, and our future in space.

If you want to ask Seth a question, leave a comment, enter the question in the form below, or tweet your question under the hashtag #shuttlechat.

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