July 8th - on this day in 2011, the final launch of the Space Shuttle program took place when Atlantis lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. The final Space Shuttle crew included only four astronauts: Commander Christopher Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists, Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. On this last mission the Space Shuttle carried 12,890 kg of payload mass to the orbital outpost. | NASAS

On July 8, 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on STS-135, marking NASA’s final Space Shuttle mission. After 30 years of shuttle flights, this mission closed an incredible chapter of human spaceflight. Atlantis carried supplies and experiments to the International Space Station (ISS), making sure our orbiting home had everything it needed. 🌌🛰️ The crew made history with professionalism, courage, and a hint of adventure that only astronauts can bring. It was a bittersweet moment—saying go

As we prepare for the first crewed mission from American soil to the ISS since the Shuttle era, we remember Atlantis. The STS-135 crew landed safely on runway 15 at 5:57 a.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, ending a 13-day journey of more than five million miles. It was the final and 133rd landing in shuttle history. The STS-135 crew consisted of Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. #NASA #NASAhistory #