NASA'S Final Space Shuttle Mission Begins With Atlantis' Launch

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Source:  NASA RELEASE: 11-216

Excerpt: Space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT Friday. STS-135 is the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. …"The shuttle's always going to be a reflection to what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through," Ferguson said shortly before liftoff. "We're not ending the journey today…we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end." …STS-135 is the 135th shuttle flight, the 33rd flight for Atlantis and the 37th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station 

www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jul/HQ_11-216_STS-135_Launch.html

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