CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. – The final mission of the space shuttle program began at 11:26 a.m. EDT under mostly cloudy skies and with an estimated 1 million people watching from locations nearby. Weather predictions were dire, with there being a 70 percent chance that weather would prevent the historic launch from taking place.
With about an hour left in the count the weather condition essentially inverted with a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions that cleared the way for the beginning of the mission.
A last minute technical concern crept in with just 31 seconds remaining on the clock. Controllers had not received confirmation that the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm had retracted and locked. The concern was that during the violence of launch the arm could strike the ascending spacecraft. When confirmation was given that all was secure a quick “go” was given and the countdown resumed. With that final bit of drama resolved, Commander Chris Ferguson had one comment as he and his crew readied themselves for launch.
“Light this fire one more time,” Ferguson said, “and witness this great nation at its best!”
Ferguson leads the crew of four that also includes Pilot Douglas Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. The mission is scheduled to last 12 days and will deliver a year’s worth of supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis is ferrying supplies that are meant to keep the ISS well-stocked when the final wheel stop occurs.
The pilot that rode the first space shuttle mission to orbit some thirty years ago, Robert Crippen, was on hand for this historic occasion. He expressed his feelings as to what he thought the legacy of the space shuttle would be.
“I’m a fan of country-western music and Brooks and Dunn have a song that I think will sum up how people will view the shuttles after they are retired,” Crippen said. “That song is – You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
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