The Final Launch of STS-135 Atlantis

STS135-S-109 (8 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis with its crew of four; NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. (EDT) on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA