The space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-135, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center mid-morning Friday, marking the very last launch of the space shuttle program. Despite a few glitches during the countdown, it was a near perfect launch.
The crew of the Atlantis consists of Chris Ferguson, shuttle commander; Doug Hurley, shuttle pilot; and Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus, both mission specialists. The Atlantis is carrying supplies for the International Space Station in the European-built Raffaello supply module.
The shuttle is also carrying an experiment to test the utility of space-based refueling depots. Space experts envision the creation of space-based fuel stations, supplied either from the Earth or other places such as the Moon. Spacecraft, particularly those headed into deep space, would be able to top off from these depots, eliminating the need to carry with them all the fuel they would need to conduct a mission.
One of the experiments being carried to the ISS on board the Atlantis is a test of a new vaccine for infectious diseases. Previous experiments suggest that microgravity can increase the virulence of disease organisms such salmonella. Microgravity also alters the genetic expression of pathogens like salmonella in ways that are not observed on Earth.
The new experiment will test methods to exploit the infectious capacity of salmonella to create an immune response in the human body. It is hoped that this experiment will lead to new vaccines that will fight a variety of infectious diseases.
Atlantis is scheduled for a 12-day mission, including a visit to the ISS. There will be a space walk by the ISS crew during the time the Atlantis is docked to the space station. Ironically, Atlantis STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center on July 20, the 42nd anniversary of the first Apollo Moon landing.
When the next spacecraft carrying humans will launch from the Kennedy Space Center is as yet unknown. Various commercial space firms are working to create space taxi services to the ISS and perhaps other destinations, such as the proposed Bigelow Aerospace private space station. NASA itself is planning to build a heavy lift launch vehicle and a craft capable of sending astronaut explorers beyond low Earth orbit. This project is what remains of the Constellation program, canceled by President Obama and partly revived by Congress.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard
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