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Non of us will ever get there but this is certainly worth including for a read.
Atlantis Lands, Heralds End of Shuttle Era.
Jun 3, 2010
By Irene Klotz
Kennedy Space Center
With the completion of the STS-132 mission of Atlantis, the shutdown of the space shuttle program spreads from manufacturing facilities to the vehicle processing hub here.
There are no more flights planned for Atlantis, although the ship will be prepared as a launch-on-need vehicle for the STS-134 mission—the program’s planned finale—currently targeted for launch in November.
A proposal to continue processing Atlantis for launch in mid-2011 on an extra supply run to the International Space Station (ISS) is pending before the Obama administration and Congress. NASA would need an additional $150-200 million per month to maintain its shuttle workforce beyond 2010. Managers also would have to relax post-Columbia safety requirements that another shuttle be available for crew rescue and instead rely on Soyuz capsules for return flights home for astronauts seeking shelter on the ISS.
Atlantis Lands, Heralds End of Shuttle Era.
Jun 3, 2010
By Irene Klotz
Kennedy Space Center
![atlantislanding-nasa.jpg](/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviationweek.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fspace_images%2FNASA%2FShuttle%2Fatlantislanding-nasa.jpg&hash=af0579a19bc274ad025ef858c874ce6a)
With the completion of the STS-132 mission of Atlantis, the shutdown of the space shuttle program spreads from manufacturing facilities to the vehicle processing hub here.
There are no more flights planned for Atlantis, although the ship will be prepared as a launch-on-need vehicle for the STS-134 mission—the program’s planned finale—currently targeted for launch in November.
A proposal to continue processing Atlantis for launch in mid-2011 on an extra supply run to the International Space Station (ISS) is pending before the Obama administration and Congress. NASA would need an additional $150-200 million per month to maintain its shuttle workforce beyond 2010. Managers also would have to relax post-Columbia safety requirements that another shuttle be available for crew rescue and instead rely on Soyuz capsules for return flights home for astronauts seeking shelter on the ISS.