On the morning of July 8, the space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It began its 13-day mission to the International Space Station. This marked the 135th and final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

The Space Shuttle Program has lasted for 30 years. The first space shuttle launch happened on April 12, 1981. Since its beginning, the shuttle program has carried into space 355 different people from 16 different countries.

On this last space shuttle mission, the Atlantis carried a crew of four astronauts. They were Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. The shuttle crew delivered more than 9,000 pounds of spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Included in this delivery was a year’s supply of food and water. The crew also tested a way to use robotics to refuel satellites in space.

The Atlantis crew also brought two iPhone 4s to the International Space Station. Space station astronauts will use an iPhone app called SpaceLab for iOS to collect and study scientific data in space. The app was made especially for the space station crew, but anyone with an iPhone can buy it.

The last shuttle crew kept the tradition of bringing souvenirs on their flight. Some people like to collect items that have traveled on space missions. The shuttle crew brought along 20,000 small American flags, 2,000 patches from various shuttle missions, 4,000 space station patches, and other items. The crew will give these to space program workers, family members, and friends to thank them for their support.

Image credit: NASA Kennedy Space Center

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