#orbiteratlantis

Today we just became infinitely smarter. I think Dr. Kraft put it quite nicely there. We discovered that we could launch a winged chunk of metal and land it successfully. But it wasn't just a chunk of metal. It was the Space Shuttle. The same Space Shuttle program that began in the drawing room before we landed men on the moon, had been fulfilled. So, 35 years later, although the program has ended, the memory of Americas doorway to space lives on in the hearts and minds of those who grew up with it. Those who heard Hugh Harris declare liftoff as this beast rose on pillars of fire into the sky. Those who heard the sonic boom over Kennedy or Edwards as the Shuttle gracefully descended from the heavens. Hail Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. Hail The Space Shuttle Program. Godspeed Everyone!!! #christopherkraft #chriskraft #wejustbecameinfinatelysmarter #spaceshuttle #spaceshuttleprogram #hughharris #PAO #NASA #columbia #orbitercolumbia #challenger #orbiterchallenger #discovery #orbiterdiscovery #atlantis #orbiteratlantis #endeavour #orbiterendeavour #hailspaceshuttle #godspeed (at Edwards Air Force Base)

Today is the Birthday of NASA astronaut Piers Sellers. Piers was the second British astronaut to fly into space with NASA, after Mike Foale, and both him and Mike are now American citizens. His first flight was in the orbiter Atlantis in 2002 on STS-112 and delivered and installed the S-One Truss to the Station. Sellers performed three successful spacewalks during the 9 day mission. His second flight on the shuttle was onboard STS-121 and the orbiter Discovery and launched on Independence Day in the U.S. The launch marked the return to flight after STS-114, the original return to flight mission that had postponed shuttle flights after an issue with the external tank. The mission was carried out successfully with Sellers and Fellow Crew Member Mike Fossum performing 3 EVA's. His final mission was STS-132, scheduled to be the final flight of the orbiter Atlantis (the actual last mission Atlantis flew was the final of the program, STS-135). The mission delivered the Rassvet module to the station. Sellers took with him a 4 Inch piece of wood from the apple tree that sparked Newton's Theory of gravity. After retiring from NASA in 2011, he campaigned for Climate change and worked as a research scientist at the Goddard Flight Research Center. He announced in 2016 he has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Godspeed Piers Sellers! #pierssellers #astronaut #astronautbirthday #britishastronaut #nasa #americancitizen #nasaspaceflight #mikefoale #sts112 #orbiteratlantis #atlantis #sonetruss #spacewalks #eva #sts121 #returntoflightmission #returntoflight #sts114 #ET #externaltank #mikefossum #sts132 #sts135 #rassvet #rassvetminiresearchmodule #isaacnewton #theoryofgravity #climatechange #researchscientist #goddard #pancreaticcancer #stage4pancreaticcancer #godspeedpierssellers @nasa @nasagoddard @nasajohnson