Shuttle sets off on final flight back to Earth

A shuttle left the International Space Station for the last time yesterday, heading home to end the 30-year run of a the iconic space vessel.

Atlantis slipped away as the two spacecraft soared nearly 250 miles (400k) above the Pacific.

All that remains of Nasa’s final shuttle voyage now is the touchdown, targeted for the pre-dawn hours of Thursday back home in Florida.

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As a final salute, the space station was rotating 90 degrees to provide never-before-seen views which were filmed by Atlantis as it flew around it.

Emotions ran high, both in orbit and at Mission Control. The naval ship’s bell aboard the space station chimed three times as Atlantis slowly backed away.

“Atlantis departing the International Space Station for the last time,” announced space station astronaut Ronald Garan Junior. “We’ll miss you guys. Godspeed.”

Shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson thanked the six station residents for their hospitality, adding: “We’ll never forget the role the space shuttle played in its creation. Like a proud parent, we anticipate great things to follow... Farewell, ISS. Make us proud.”

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Flight controllers savoured the dual TV images of the shuttle – the last ever seen from orbit – and the station.

“It must look pretty spectacular,” Mr Ferguson replied.

And it was: Atlantis sailing serenely against the black void of space, its payload bay wide open, and the space station, its huge solar wings glowing golden in the sunlight.

Atlantis spent eight-and-a-half days at the space station and left behind a year’s worth of supplies, insurance in the event of commercial providers encountering delays in launching their own cargo ships.

It was the 37th shuttle mission, over more than 12 years, dedicated to building and maintaining the space station – the largest structure ever to orbit the planet.

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It is now a sprawling complex with multiple science labs – 13 rooms in all and more than 900,000lb (400,000kg) of mass, most of that delivered by shuttles.

With the retirement of the shuttle fleet, the space station must now rely solely on other countries for restocking, at least until the first privately funded rocket blasts off with a load. That could come by the end of the year.

Atlantis will join Discovery and Endeavour in retirement after this 13-day journey, the 135th for the shuttle programme.