CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. (AP) - Accompanied by a fleet of astronauts spanning NASA’s entire existence, Atlantis made a slow, solemn journey to retirement Friday, the last space shuttle to orbit the world and the last to leave NASA’s nest.
Atlantis reached its new home at the Kennedy Space Center’s main tourist stop close to sundown, after a one-way road trip that spanned nearly 12 hours.
A couple dozen astronauts spanning NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs _ moonwalkers included _ welcomed Atlantis to its new $100 million exhibit, still under construction. The hardier ones walked alongside the spaceship for the home stretch.
Among the big astronaut names: Mercury’s Scott Carpenter, Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin and Eileen Collins, the first female shuttle commander.
It was a day full of fanfare and farewells.
Atlantis began the 10-mile trek just before dawn, emerging from the massive Vehicle Assembly Building and riding atop a 76-wheeled platform.
About 200 workers gathered in the early morning chill to see the spaceship out in the open for the final time. They were joined by the four astronauts who closed out the shuttle program aboard Atlantis more than a year ago.
“My opinion is it looks better vertically,” said Christopher Ferguson, the commander of Atlantis‘ final flight.
“It’s a short trip. It’s taking a day,” he added. “It traveled a lot faster in its former life. But that’s OK. … it’s got a new role.”
Portions of Atlantis‘ final launch countdown boomed over loudspeakers before the shuttle hit the road. Employees gathered in front of a long white banner that read, “We Made History,” and below that the single word “Atlantis.” They followed the spaceship for a block or two, then scattered as the shuttle transporter revved up to its maximum 2 mph. The convoy included a dozen trucks and vans, their lights blinking.
The fact that several hundred shuttle workers are about to lose their jobs, now that Atlantis is being turned over to the visitor complex, dampened the mood. Thousands already have been laid off.
“The untold story of the last couple years, the last missions that we flew, is the work force. I mean, the contractors knew that their numbers were going to go down … and yet they kept doing their jobs,” said NASA’s Angie Brewer, who was once in charge of getting Atlantis ready for flight.
Some were too upset to even show up. Friday’s event marked the true end to the 30-year shuttle program.
Seeing so many members of the shuttle team “helps soften the hard edge of seeing Atlantis go off to a museum,” said astronaut Rex Walheim, part of the ship’s final crew.
Atlantis made its way down broad industrial avenues, most of them off-limits to the public. So the trek did not replicate the narrow, stop-and-go turns Endeavour encountered last month while navigating downtown Los Angeles.
View Entire Story
By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
First over-the-counter column approved for fast and effective relief from even your worst media-induced headache.
Opinion, analysis, and musings on politics, pop culture, reinvention, and the resultant flotsam and jetsam floating around the right-of-center quadrant of the Left Coast.
Consummate traveler Todd DeFeo explores the unique stories that make destinations worth going to.
We welcome you to the intimate and personal thoughts on the news and events we, as editors, watch, read, and discuss with our writers every day.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
