CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. — In honor of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have devoted their time and energy over the last 30 years to the space shuttle program, and in remembrance of the crews of Challenger and Columbia who paid the ultimate price, a group of passionate space workers, officials and devotees are asking you to stand, join and raise hands as you watch Atlantis launch into orbit for one last time.
If all goes according to plan, here is what is asked of those that are participating:
At ten seconds to liftoff, stand up.
At liftoff you are asked to join and raise hands.
For first ten seconds of flight keep your hands raised.
It is hoped that through this gesture, the nation can convey their thanks and appreciation for the vehicle and the people that have made the numerous accomplishments of the shuttle program – a reality.
The final flight of the shuttle era, STS-135, will take place on shuttle Atlantis which is currently scheduled to launch at 11:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and last a total of 12 days. Bad weather has threatened this launch from taking place with a tropical wave encroaching on the region.
The crew for this last mission is smaller than any since the early 1980s. The crew is comprised of Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. This flight is a resupply mission to the International Space Station and it will provide the orbiting outpost with a year’s worth of supplies.
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