NASA News: NASA's Proud Space Shuttle Program Ends With Atlantis Landing

Agency Ushers In Next Era OF Exploration .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Wrapping up 30 years of unmatched achievements
and blazing a trail for the next era of U.S. human spaceflight,
NASA's storied Space Shuttle Program came to a "wheels stop" on
Thursday at the conclusion of its 135th mission.

Shuttle Atlantis and its four-astronaut crew glided home for the final
time, ending a 13-day journey of more than five million miles with a
landing at 5:57 a.m. EDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It was the 25th night landing (19th night and 78th total landings at
Kennedy) and the 133rd landing in shuttle history.

"The brave astronauts of STS-135 are emblematic of the shuttle program
-- skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds who propelled
America to continued leadership in space with the shuttle's many
successes," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This final
shuttle flight marks the end of an era, but today, we recommit
ourselves to continuing human spaceflight and taking the necessary-
and difficult - steps to ensure America's leadership in human
spaceflight for years to come."

Since STS-1 launched on April 12, 1981, 355 individuals from 16
countries flew 852 times aboard the shuttle. The five shuttles
traveled more than 542 million miles and hosted more than 2,000
experiments in the fields of Earth, astronomy, biological and
materials sciences.

The shuttles docked with two space stations, the Russian Mir and the
International Space Station. Shuttles deployed 180 payloads,
including satellites, returned 52 from space and retrieved, repaired
and redeployed seven spacecraft.

The STS-135 crew consisted of Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug
Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. They
delivered more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, spare equipment and
other supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module -
including 2,677 pounds of food - that will sustain space station
operations for the next year. The 21-foot long, 15-foot diameter
Raffaello brought back nearly 5,700 pounds of unneeded materials from
the station.

A welcome home ceremony for the astronauts will be held Friday, July
22, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CDT event
at NASA's Hangar 990 at Ellington Field. Gates to Ellington Field
will open at 3:30 p.m. The ceremony will be broadcast live on NASA
Television. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to
streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

STS-135 was the 135th and final shuttle flight, Atlantis' 33rd flight
and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

For more information about the STS-135 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For information on NASA's future exploration activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/next

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NASA Administrator Commemorates Final Space Shuttle Landing

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden today issued this
statement about the final landing of the Space Shuttle Program:

"At today's final landing of the space shuttle, we had the rare
opportunity to witness history. We turned the page on a remarkable
era and began the next chapter in our nation's extraordinary story of exploration.

The brave astronauts of STS-135 are emblematic of the shuttle program.
Skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds who propelled America
to continued leadership in space with the shuttle's many successes.
It is my great honor today to welcome them home.

I salute them and all of the men and women who have flown shuttle
missions since the very first launch on April 12, 1981.

The shuttle program brought our nation many firsts. Many proud
moments, some of which I was privileged to experience myself as a
shuttle commander. I was proud to be part of the shuttle program and
will carry those experiences with me for the rest of my life.

As we move forward, we stand on the shoulders of these astronauts and
the thousands of people who supported them on the ground - as well as
those who cheered their triumphs and mourned their tragedies.

This final shuttle flight marks the end of an era, but today, we
recommit ourselves to continuing human spaceflight and taking the
necessary-and difficult-steps to ensure America's leadership in human
spaceflight for years to come.

I want to send American astronauts where we've never been before by
focusing our resources on exploration and innovation, while
leveraging private sector support to take Americans to the
International Space Station in low Earth orbit.

With the bold path President Obama and Congress have set us on, we
will continue the grand tradition of exploration.

Children who dream of being astronauts today may not fly on the space
shuttle . . . but, one day, they may walk on Mars. The future belongs
to us. And just like those who came before us, we have an obligation
to set an ambitious course and take an inspired nation along for the
journey.

I'm ready to get on with the next big challenge.

The future is bright for human spaceflight and for NASA. American
ingenuity is alive and well. And it will fire up our economy and help
us win the future, but only if we dream big and imagine endless
possibilities. That future begins today."

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NASA Deputy Administrator Is Keynote Speaker At NewSpace 2011

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will
provide opening keynote remarks at the Space Frontier Foundation's
annual NewSpace Conference at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 28. Media
are invited to attend the conference, which runs July 28-30 at NASA's
Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

NewSpace provides a forum for space entrepreneurs, investors,
scientists, engineers, regulators and space policy leaders to explore
the opportunities and challenges of opening the space frontier to
human settlement.

This year's theme, "The Next Big Thing," focuses on the near and
long-term potential and challenges of the emerging commercial space industry.

Additional conference speakers include Virgin Galactic President and
Chief Executive Officer George Whitesides; Sierra Nevada Chairman
Mark Sirangelo; Altius Space Machines Founder Jon Goff; Arianespace
President Clay Mowry; Space Adventures President Tom Shelley and Moon
Express Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bob Richards.

NewSpace conference sessions on July 28 will address the state of the
aerospace industry and the critical partnership between the growing
commercial industry and civil space. A session will include a
roundtable of leaders from NASA centers.

For more information about NewSpace 2011, visit:

http://newspace2011.spacefrontier.org

For more information about Ames, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ames

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