Atlantis successfully launches, marking last launch

The Atlantis Space Shuttle launched Friday, after which the space shuttle program will be retired

At 11:29 a.m. ET, the Atlantis space shuttle launched successfully, marking the 135^th and final launch in the space shuttle program. With Atlantis scheduled to return in two weeks, the 30-year-old space shuttle program will officially come to an end.

Atlantis took off Friday morning with over 8,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station and a four-man crew, including Navy Captain Christopher J. Ferguson, NASA astronaut Sandra H. Magnus, retired Air Force colonel Rex J. Walheim, and the shuttle will be piloted by Col. Douglas G. Hurley of the Marines.

Inclement weather made the launch uncertain, as forecasts estimated a 30% chance of favorable weather for the launch. But the launch went off without a hitch. And bringing the program full circle, Atlantis contained parts from the very first shuttle flight in 1981, including the revamped solid rocket boosters and the top segment of the left booster.

While the launch is a historical moment that drew dozens of celebrities, major political figures, and NASA legends, it also marks a somber moment in history as the final flight due to budget cuts that have forced the cancellation of the Constellation program.

In April, Congress approved a new spending plan for the remainder of 2011 that would cut NASA’s budget by $241 million to $18.48 billion from $18.72 billion in 2010. While that may not seem like a terribly dramatic cut, former NASA administrator Michael Griffin explained in a recent interview with Gwen Ifill that the problem was that NASA was already underfunded to begin with.

“The budget that NASA was told it had was continually eroded by both the Office of Management and Budget in the Bush administration and two congressional continuing resolutions,” said Griffin, adding: “The budget that we had starting out on the program was adequate to do the job. The budget that we wound up with just a few short years later was not.”

NASA assured the public that there was enough money left to proceed with the plans for the final space shuttle launch, but upon the Atlantis’ return, the future is uncertain. 

Image source: guim.co.uk