Final Four – Shuttle Atlantis crew prepare for last mission

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Space Shuttle Atlantis crew of four

call themselves ‘lucky’

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning, the four Atlantis astronauts put on their bright orange launch-and-entry suits and traveled to Launch Pad 39A aboard the Astrovan, just as they will on launch day a couple of weeks from now. Climbing into space shuttle Atlantis, they are participating in the countdown dress rehearsal.

Yesterday the crew posed in front of Atlantis and spoke to the press.

With space shuttle Atlantis in the background, the STS-135 astronauts answer questions from the news media at Launch Pad 39A. They are, from right: Mission Specialists Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus, Pilot Doug Hurley and Commander Chris Ferguson. Image credit: NASA TV

The crew of four reflected Wednesday on what it means to be the last group to ride a shuttle into space.

“We’re very honored to be in this position,” Commander Chris Ferguson said. “There’s many people who could be here. When the dice fell, our names were facing up, so we consider ourselves fortunate, lucky.”

He added that there’s also a bit of pressure to live up to the hype that goes along with the final mission, which has a target launch date of July 8.

Atlantis crew feel extra burden

“I think each of us feels a little, perhaps, extra burden to make sure that we put on the best possible face forward for the last go-around of this,” Commander Ferguson said. “When it’s all over at the end, I think the enormity of it is going to hit us. That last ‘wheels stop’ call is going to be a little tough.”

“We feel very honored to be on this flight, and we’ve been very focused to make sure we perform it well in honor of all the people who have been involved in, not just this mission, but all of the missions,” Mission Specialist Magnus said.

Magnus added: “We’re just the tip of the iceberg of a huge group of people. We feel very, very strongly that we have to be as prepared as possible . . . and I think when it’s all done, we can all celebrate together, not just the mission but the whole program.”

When the Space Shuttle Atlantis returns home, it will be a sad day for many people at NASA.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the beautiful Earth