THE FINAL MISSION By Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Yesterday marked a historic and emotional day as Shuttle Atlantis lifted off for the very last time.
Despite the odds that weather would delay the launch, Atlantis took off at 11:29 A.M. EST with only one minor glitch in the communication countdown due to an improper vent arm retraction that was easily corrected.
Close to one million onlookers from all over the globe watched in awe, some with a sentimental tear in their eyes.
The four-member crew is now on a 12-day mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. NASA will likely try and extend the mission by one day.
There are some notable facts worth mentioning.
There have been 134 missions and five space shuttles have ferried 355 astronauts half a billion miles into space. The first shuttle, Columbia, blasted into space in April of 1981.
President Richard Nixon commissioned the space shuttle program in 1972, 3 years after the Apollo program put a man on the moon.
It is estimated that the United States spent close to $9.9 billion (in 2010) to launch one Apollo rocket and a crew of three into space. The command module was the only part of the spacecraft to return to Earth. Taxpayers spent $500 million per launch.
The shuttle’s height is 57 feet on the runway, wingspan of 78 feet, lift-off weight of 4.5 million pounds and orbital speeds of 17,322 miles per hour. We have had two tragedies, namely the explosion of the Challenger in 1986 and Columbia’s destruction during re-entry in 2003.
More than half of the launches have been delayed: 1% due to crew illness and weather conditions, 16% to technical issues and weather conditions, 12% strictly due to weather, 27% strictly due to technical issues and 44% have launched on time.
Unfortunately, when Atlantis touches back down on Earth, the United States will have no way to put humans into space for the first time in decades. NASA will look to the Russian space agency to ferry our astronauts into orbit. Long range plans call for private companies to ship cargo to the station with the thought and ability to also carry the astronauts.
Yesterday’s lift-off marked three decades of dreams, dedication and hard work coming to a close.
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