At 11:26 ET Friday, space shuttle Atlantis flew up in the sky toward the International Space Station, marking an end of an era: It was the last aircraft to launch as part of NASA’s space shuttle program.
Atlantis will carry four astronauts during the 12-day mission, bring supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station and conduct an experiment to test new refueling and repair technology for satellites in orbit, after which it will return to Earth and retire.
If you’ve missed the live stream of the launch, you can see it in the archived video below. The actual liftoff starts somewhere around 18:00 in the video.
Photos from the Final Atlantis Flight
Stay tuned. We’ll keep updating this gallery with new photos.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Solid Rocket Booster Separation
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Liftoff
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Mashable Media Badge
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
NPR Tweeted
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Official Launch M&Ms
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Elmo Reports Launch
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Media Getting Signals
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
@SethGreen Tweeted
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Participants
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Participants
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Badge
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Participants
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Participants
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Tweetup Participants
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
@schierholz Handed Out M&Ms
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
@schierholz Tweeted
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
@schierholz's Badge
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.
Shuttle Atlantis
Shuttle Atlantis moves into the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Atlantis Sunrise
The sun rises over the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Atlantis Sunset
Sunset over Launch Pad 39A before the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM) is delivered.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Atlantis Sunrise
Another sun rises over the Shuttle Atlantis.
Photo courtesy of NASA.The Crew Celebrates
The STS-135 crew wave American flags in honor of Independence Day. From left: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
Photo courtesy of NASA.The Crew Heads for Final Launch Preparation
The STS-135 team departs for the Astronaut Crew Quarters in Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Firing Room 4
In Firing Room 4, NASA team members prepare for launch.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Launch Pad
Atlantis was "hard down" at its seaside launch pad by 3:29 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 1.
Photo courtesy of NASA.Atlantis Flag
The Atlantis flag flutters below the American flag.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Launch Pad
A view of the launch pad from across the water.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Media Gathers
News crews prepare their equipment at tents near the launch pad.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Media Tents
Two-tier media tents provide better views of the Atlantis.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Launch Clock
Ryan Matzner, lead strategist at Fueled, a mobile app development firm, stands in front of the countdown-to-launch clock.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Media Tripods
Media stakes out their turf with tripods aimed at the shuttle launch.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Tweetup
Media and spectators alike participate in the lunch Tweetup.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.En Route
The van will lead the procession of astronauts to the shuttle.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.En Route
The astronauts en route to the launch pad.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.En Route
Precious cargo on the way to the launch pad.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Vehicle Assembly Building
An impressive spectacle in itself, the Vehicle Assembly Building has been used to assemble NASA vehicles since 1968. It is the largest single-story building in the world.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.Vehicle Assembly Building
A view of the vehicle assembly building.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Matzner.BONUS: Amazing Photographs From Endeavour’s Last Voyage
NASA recently released these breathtaking images from the last voyage of Endeavour following its return from space last month. Until October 2010, it was believed that the Endeavour mission would be the last space shuttle flight — now Atlantis is set to take that honor.
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
Endeavour's final voyage
More About: flight, NASA, space, space shuttle, Space Shuttle Atlantis, video
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