The space shuttle Atlantis made its last landing yesterday at 6 a.m. and with it the mark of the end of an era for NASA’s shuttle program. Thirty years ago the first launch inspired more than just awe, it was truly sublime. And even though over the years the shuttle launches became more common, sometimes described as a pickup truck for the International Space Station, the accomplishment of any single launch should never be thought of as routine.
This is not farewell but definitely a goodbye. There are no concrete plans for future human missions into space and there are few backers—publicly or politically—with enough enthusiasm to push it forward.
So this is our time to take a look back, and to honor one of the greatest technological feats ever made. Yesterday a flurry of video montages appeared on the Web. Here are two that caught my attention more than most. Both gave me goose bumps.
And both are worth the minutes to watch.
This one documents launches of the past 30 years, in one single launch. You have to see it to understand what I mean.
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