Just wanted to take a quick moment to say good-bye to the space shuttle program, and thank you to all the astronauts, engineers, and everyone else who has lent a hand to the NASA space shuttle program over the last thirty years. As of just before 6am this morning, the space shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Centre, ending the final mission of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of mankind. Manned spaceflight may be taking a backseat for the next few years as we explore our vast universe with newer and better telescopes, sensors, and other mechanical means, but the contributions and lessons learned from these remarkable spacecraft will not be forgotten. Someday down the road, we'll be welcoming home a spaceship carrying brave men and women who are returning from Mars and we'll know that what we witnessed today was an essential piece of the puzzle. 

      So thank you, NASA, for the all the fantastic work you've done; this program is a marvel of engineering and human ingenuity. I, for one, cannot wait to see what elseyou have up your sleeve, and am eagerly awaiting the debut of the Orion capsules in 2014. Keep up the great work and hopefully the educators from this blog will be prepping some young scientists to join your ranks. 

Just for fun...

"Space; the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, and new civilizations.

To boldly go where no one has gone before."

-Captain Jean-Luc Picard