Very Last Space Shuttle Launch: Atlantis STS-135

I recorded this video with my digital camera.  I promise that by the time a new space vehicle is officially launching I'll have a new camera, and possibly even professional grade.

This is the very last launch of the Space Shuttle Program.  After 30+ years these missions have come an end.  It is truly the end of an era.

Tensions were very high prior to launch. The weather had been predicted as 70% "no-go" for launch at time of launch, and just a couple of hours prior to launch Atlantis was given the "go" for launch.

And, as the clock was ticking, there was a problem that delayed the scheduled 11: 26 a.m. launch by 2 minutes and 18 seconds, launching at 11:29 a.m.

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful launch, as they all are.

Atlantis, you'll be missed soaring into space.  But, we'll see you again soon when you're placed in your final resting home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

As the Shuttle Program comes to an end, we should always remember those who have sacrificed so much for the advancement and progress of science in space, so that we can enjoy better lives here on Earth.  We should try to look beyond the event that it's a shuttle launch so that we can learn about all these great advancements.  We should also be inspired and teach our future generations how great science and the space program is for our lives.  Without those we wouldn't be able to enjoy many of the things we take for granted every day.

As we look into the future of the space program, we should ponder  about how we got here in the first place.  Exploration has been at the heart of mankind since the beginning of time, and we should never stop until we reach the stars.

Godspeed, Atlantis!