During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and six astronauts will fly to the International Space Station, leaving behind a Russian Mini Research Module, a set of batteries for the station's truss and dish antenna, along with other replacement parts.
This mission signifies the last days and final chapter for the space shuttle program and will forever change the state of Florida.
NASA hopes to launch space shuttle Discovery on Feb. 27, and people in the Tampa Bay region may be able to see its fiery glow on the eastern horizon. But such sightings are numbered. NASA plans to stop flying shuttles by the end of next year, ending nearly three decades as the centerpiece of the American space program. "The impacts on Florida, both tangible and intangible, are just really remarkable," said Pat Duggins, a radio reporter at an Orlando NPR affiliate and author of Final Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program. Although some are pushing to keep shuttles flying for a few extra years, only nine more missions officially remain on the books. After that, Florida is likely to lose thousands of space-related jobs, not to mention an icon that has become part of the state's image.
