More humiliating is that Nasa is having to hitch rides to the space station with the Russians, paying them up to $63m (£39m) for each astronaut it wants to send.

The International Space Station, built almost exclusively by American astronauts flying shuttles, must now be serviced by Russia's Soviet-era Soyuz spacecraft. 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.'ĭespite the rallying words, many feel that the moment of wheels-stop for Atlantis also marked the end of a half-century of US dominance in space.įor the first time in the agency's 53-year history it has no vehicle, existing or in the works, capable of launching astronauts into orbit.

'We turned the page on a remarkable era and began the next chapter in our nation's extraordinary story of exploration. 'At today's final landing of the space shuttle, we had the rare opportunity to witness history,' he said. Thank you for protecting us and bringing this programme to such a fitting end.'Ĭharles Bolden, a former astronaut who is now the Nasa administrator, was keen to look ahead. Thank you Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and our ship, Atlantis. 'There are a lot of emotions today, but one thing is indisputable. 'The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and it's changed the way we view our universe,' he said moments after landing. It was day of celebration and raw emotion, with Nasa employees openly weeping on the runway in front of the newly retired shuttle, and Chris Ferguson, the Atlantis commander, paying a moving tribute to it and the rest of the spacecraft fleet. Like a ship's bell ringing a vessel safely back home, two deafening sonic booms pierced the Florida sky to signal Atlantis's otherwise silent arrival, and the last few seconds of the 135th and final mission since the first launch of Columbia in April 1981.

Nasa space shuttle program ends