SPACE SHUTTLE ERA ENDS WITH ATLANTIS

Space shuttle Atlantis astronauts (right to left) Commander Chris Ferguson, Rex Walheim, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus are seen boarding their transport on July 8, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center.

When Atlantis touched down yesterday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., the high-flying era of the space shuttles came down to earth as well. After 30 years, the shuttle program, which began on April 12, 1981 with Colombia, has ended with the 135th mission. Atlantis delivered the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station, and retrieved a failed pump unit and other items for the return trip. Atlantis went aloft 33 times, logging over 125 million miles. The last shuttle will become a museum exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center.


The space shuttle Atlantis flies over the Bahamas prior to a perfect docking with the International Space Station on July 10, 2011. Part of a Russian Progress spacecraft docked to the station is in the foreground.

ATK engineers take a look at the company's final booster motor for the space shuttle program in Box Elder County, Utah. For more than 30 years, NASA's space shuttle program has been a cornerstone of Utah's economy. That era ended with Atlantis, which ends the shuttle program. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that it stops the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars that came to Utah from NASA for tests and construction of the solid-fuel rocket booster motors that launch the spacecraft into orbit. Gone, too, are thousands of jobs from Alliant Tech Systems, known as ATK, and other northern Utah companies that supported the industry.

The STS-135 crew practices rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station while being observed in the Systems Engineering Simulator at the Johnson Space Center on June 28, 2011 in Houston.

The rotating service structure rolls away from space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. on July 7, 2011.

The space shuttle Atlantis stands shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 7, 2011.

Spectators stake out spots early as they wait for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 8, 2011.

Spectators gather near the Visitors Center at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch the space shuttle Atlantis take off July 8, 2011.

Warren Hinson, a NASA Emergency Response Team member, keeps an eye out while flying near the Vehicle Assembly Building prior to the launch of space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Friday on July 8, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 2011.

Atlantis and its four astronauts blasted off practically on schedule at 11:29 a.m., July 8, 2011.

NASA managers watch from Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center as the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A on July 8, 2011.

Ron Stillman (left) and Tara Reece of Cocoa Beach, Fla. watch from their suf boards as the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off in Cocoa Beach, Fla. on July 8, 2011

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden hugs Launch Director Michael Leinbach (right) in the Launch Control Center shortly after the space shuttle Atlantis launched on July 8, 2011.

The external fuel tank floats away from Atlantis after a successful launch on July 8, 2011 in space.

The nose of Atlantis in Earth orbit is seen during a Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or back flip to enable space station crew members to take high resolution digital pictures of the shuttle's heat shield before docking for the last time with the International Space Station on July 10, 2011.

The International Space Station and Atlantis (right) orbit Earth on July 12, 2011. A Russian Soyuz craft is docked on the far left.

Astronaut Ron Garan checks out his pistol grip tool in the International Space Station's Quest airlock prior to his July 12 spacewalk on July 12, 2011.

Atlantis and International Space Station astronauts gather for one of the final meals shared between shuttle and station crews aboard the orbiting laboratory on July 14, 2011.

Atlantis Pilot Doug Hurley moves supplies and equipment in the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module of the International Space Station on July 11, 2011.

Astronaut Rex Walheim works on the mid-deck of Atlantis on July 09, 2011.

Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson (left) and Pilot Doug Hurley pause on the flight deck of the orbiter on July 9, 2011.

Astronaut Ronald Garan leaves the Quest airlock on the International Space Station during a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk along with astronaut Mike Fossum on July 12, 2011. This is the 160th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998.

Astronaut Mike Fossum carries a Robotics Refueling Mission payload from Atlantis' cargo bay to a platform used by the space station's famous robot DEXTRE. Above on the far left, DEXTRE prepares to help move a failed space pump back to Atlantis. Visible behind the astronaut is the space station's Kibo Experimental Module.

Spacewalker Ron Garan rides on the International Space Station's robotic arm with Earth below as he transfers a failed pump module to the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis during the final spacewalk on July 12, 2011.

Earth's airglow is seen as a thin line above Earth's horizon behind the shuttle and the International Space Station. The Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, full of items to be returned to Earth, is seen in the aft cargo bay.

Astronaut Sandy Magnus gets one last visit to the Cupola on board the International Space Station before the two spacecraft undocked on July 18, 2011.

Atlantis lands on July 21, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ending its 13-day mission.

Atlantis lands on July 21, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The space shuttle Atlantis lands in the pre-dawn hours on July 21, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle and its four-member crew landed safely at 5:56 am.

Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. on July 21, 2011.

Commander Chris Ferguson walks under Atlantis after landing at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. on July 21, 2011.

Atlantis is towed into its hangar at the Orbiter Processing Facility July 21, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after it landed several hours earlier, ending its 13-day mission and final flight for the space shuttle program.

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DOA DART TEAM

WILDFIRE THREATENS NUCLEAR FACILITY

A NASA image taken by a crew member aboard the International Space Station, flying at an altitude of approximately 235 statute miles on June 27, 2011, shows the Las Conchas fire in the Jemez Mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest in north-central New Mexico. The fire is just southwest of Los Alamos National Laboratories.

The Las Conchas wildfire in New Mexico spread dangerously close to the Los Alamos National Laboratory this week, causing the evacuation of the town and the shutdown of the lab, which is the headquarters for US military research. The laboratory was created during World War II to develop the first atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project and houses highly sensitive materials. As a precaution, scientists are monitoring radioactivity in the air. The fire is the largest wildfire in the state's history, covering more than 100,000 acres.(Editor's Note: We will not post on Monday, July 4th, we'll see you again on Wednesday, July 6, 2011.)

A vicious wildfire burns near the Los Alamos Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. The Las Conchas fire spread through the mountains above the northern New Mexico town, driving thousands of people from their homes as officials at the government nuclear laboratory tried to dispel concerns about the safety of sensitive materials.

New Mexico National Guard member Pia Romero holds a map of the Las Conchas fire during a news conference in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 29, 2011. The wildfire 12 miles southwest of Los Alamos was 3 percent contained after burning across nearly 61,000 acres or 95 square miles.

A helicopter carrying water flies over the Los Alamos Laboratory as smoke rises from the Las Conchas fire in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011.

Flames from the Las Conchas fire burn in Los Alamos, N.M. in the Jemez Mountains on the morning of June 28, 2011. Fire managers said it was a "make or break day" for ensuring flames from the wildfire don't race into the northern New Mexico town that is home to a government nuclear laboratory that stores sensitive materials.

Los Alamos residents Ross Van Lyssel, left, and Steve Bowers watch flames from the Las Conchas fire in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. The vicious wildfire spread through the mountains above the northern New Mexico town, driving thousands of people from their homes as officials at the government nuclear laboratory tried to dispel concerns about the safety of sensitive materials.

9Wind battered flags located at a fire station at Diamond and Range roads in Los Alamos, N.M., flap in the breeze on June 27, 2011, after the fast-moving wildfire broke out in New Mexico and forced officials at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to close the site as residents nearby evacuated their homes.


A tree burns near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 29, 2011, as crews fight to keep the wildfire from reaching the country's premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community and as scientists sample the air for chemicals and radiological materials.

Los Alamos, N.M., residents, evacuating due to an approaching wildfire, line up along Diamond Drive on June 27, 2011.

Smoke from the Las Conchas fire turns the setting sun red over the Jemez Mountains behind the town of Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011.

A firefighter walks through heavy smoke from the Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 29, 2011. As crews fight to keep the wildfire from reaching the country's premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community, scientists are busy sampling the air for chemicals and radiological materials.

Smoke from the Las Conchas fire fills the sky near the Los Alamos Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011.

A wave of smoke billows and fills a canyon as the Las Conchas, N.M. fire creeps into the canyon. The wildfire threatening the nation’s premier nuclear weapons laboratory and a community in northern New Mexico was poised Thursday to become the largest fire in state history.

Hotshot crew members walk in line as they prepare to mop up in Pajarito Mountain ski area near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011.

The top of a plume of smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire in the Jemez Mountains billows in the clouds, as seen from miles away in Rio Rancho, N.M., on June 26, 2011. Fire officials say the Las Conchas fire charred more than 3,500 acres since starting Sunday afternoon. Voluntary evacuations were issued for Los Alamos and White Rock.

A time exposure taken late Monday night, June 27, 2011, shows the Las Conchas fire outside Los Alamos, N.M.

The bridge that separates the town of Los Alamos, N.M., from Los Alamos National Laboratory is shrouded in smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire on June 28, 2011.

24The Las Conchas Fire burns through a canyon on June 29, 2011 in Los Alamos, N,M. The government sent a plane equipped with radiation monitors over the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory as a 110-square-mile wildfire burned at its doorstep, putting thousands of scientific experiments on hold for days.

The sun filters through thick smoke from a wildfire burning near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 27, 2011. Thousands of residents calmly fled the town that's home to the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory as a rapidly growing wildfire approached, sending up towering plumes of smoke, raining down ash and charring the fringes of the sprawling lab's property. The blaze, which began Sunday, had destroyed 30 structures south of Los Alamos and forced the closure of the lab.

31The Las Conchas fire burns trees and grass near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 29, 2011. As crews fight to keep the wildfire from reaching the country's premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community, scientists are busy sampling the air for chemicals and radiological materials.

A helicopter flies through the smoke from the Las Conchas fire in Los Alamos, N.M. on June 29, 2011. As crews fight to keep the wildfire from reaching the country's premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community, scientists are busy sampling the air for chemicals and radiological materials.

The sun shines through smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire near the Los Alamos National Laboratory., on June 29, 2011. Thousands of residents calmly fled the town that's home to the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory as the rapidly growing wildfire approached, sending up towering plumes of smoke, raining down ash, and charring the fringes of the sprawling lab's property. The blaze, which began Sunday, had already destroyed 30 structures south of Los Alamos and forced the closure of the lab.