Wheels Stop – As Atlantis Lands the Shuttle Era Comes to an End

At 5:57:54 a.m EDT the orbiter Atlantis came to a wheels stop at the Kennedy Space Center marking the end of the Space Shuttle era.

Atlantis has brought to an end the 135-mission career of the Space Shuttle Program which spanned 30 years. This was the 33rd flight of Atlantis, which made its first launch in October 1985. Some of its landmark missions included the last servicing of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and construction missions to the International Space Station. The first space shuttle launch was April 12, 1981 with orbiter Columbia.

As Atlantis came to a stop Commander Chris Ferguson said “The space shuttle changed the way we view the world, the way we view the universe . America’s not going to stop exploring. Thanks for protecting us and bringing this program to a fitting end.”

Watch a replay of the final Space Shuttle launch.