The commander who brought shuttle Atlantis to a final homecoming Thursday said US space exploration would carry on, as he lauded the vessel for changing “the way we view the world.”
“After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history, and it has come to a final stop,” commander Chris Ferguson said moments after Atlantis touched down at Kennedy Space Center, marking an end to NASA’s shuttle program. Culminating a flawless mission to the International Space Station, Atlantis landed at 5:57 (0957 GMT) Thursday, 41 minutes before sunrise as twin sonic booms heralded her arrival over Florida.
NASA’s mission control, too, took a moment to admire the accomplishments of the program. The US space agency then congratulated Atlantis, “as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great spacefaring nation who truly empowered this incredible spacecraft which for three decades has inspired millions around the globe.
As the sun rose over Florida, NASA engineers opened the hatch on the white and black shuttle, helping mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, and pilot Doug Hurley step out and on to terra firma after nearly two weeks in space.
