Space shuttle Atlantis lands at Cape Canaveral for the last time

Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 06:00 in Astronomy & Space

Nasa employees turn out in darkness to welcome the space shuttle home after 126 million miles travelledThe shuttle Atlantis has touched down at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the last time, lowering the curtain on one of the most eventful eras in America's long history of human spaceflight.The craft's pre-dawn landing at the remote airstrip in the north of the space centre was a timid affair compared with the grand spectacle of its final launch 13 days ago, which attracted 1m visitors eager to witness a piece of history.But wheels-stop on the 135th and final mission of the 30-year space shuttle programme was no less significant, nor emotional as scores of Nasa employees turned out in the darkness to welcome the spaceship home for the last time – and mourn the end of a half-century of US dominance in space.Atlantis and its crew of four touched down at...

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