NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission: STS-135
Space Shuttle: Atlantis
Primary Payload: Raffaello Multi-purpose Logistics Module
Launch Date: July 8. 2011
Launch Time: 11:29 a.m. EDT
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A
Landing Date: July 21, 2011
Landing Time: 5:57 a.m. EDT
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility
Mission Duration: 13 days
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

---

Atlantis and Crew Write Final Chapter in Space Shuttle History

Image above: Riding a plume of fire, space shuttle Atlantis heads into the cloud-laden sky over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar
› View larger image

Image above: Space shuttle Atlantis' drag chute slows the shuttle as it lands on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA/Kenny Allen
› View larger image

It was a hot July day on Florida's Space Coast as nearly a million spectators gathered along the beaches, rivers and causeways to watch history in the making. Despite a gloomy prelaunch weather forecast on July 8, 2011, space shuttle Atlantis thundered off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT. The liftoff marked the last time a space shuttle would pierce the sky after 30 years of flights.

Heading toward the International Space Station, aboard Atlantis was a team of experienced astronauts led by Commander Chris Ferguson. Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim rounded out the STS-135 crew.

The 13-day mission carried more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, spare equipment and other supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, including 2,677 pounds of food. The supplies were delivered to sustain space station operations for the next year. The 21-foot long, 15-foot diameter Raffaello brought back nearly 5,700 pounds of unneeded materials from the station.

With the mission accomplished, Atlantis and crew departed the orbiting laboratory and headed home early on July 21, setting their sites on a 5:57 a.m. touch down in Florida on Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15. The end of their journey brought to a close the space shuttle era.

"Although we got to take the ride," said Commander Chris Ferguson after landing, "we sure hope that everybody who has ever worked on, or touched, or looked at, or envied or admired a space shuttle was able to take just a little part of the journey with us."


Additional Resources
› STS-135 Mission Updates Archive
› Atlantis Fact Sheet (300KB PDF)
› Space Shuttle Era Fact Sheet (236 KB PDF)
› Orbiter Status Updates