Shuttle's Final Flight: The End of an Era
Published: July 24 2026
On July 8, 2011, space enthusiasts flocked to Florida’s Space Coast to take in the conclusion of the shuttle program and STS-135—the final flight of space shuttle Atlantis.
This month, “We Choose to Go to Kennedy” host Danielle sat down with two of the mission’s astronauts, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialist Sandy Magnus, for a walk down memory lane to commemorate the 15th anniversary of STS-135.
“You’re so wrapped up in completing the mission successfully and not making mistakes and doing everything you can to make the mission successful, especially it being the last shuttle flight,” said Doug. “Really, that was like Sandy said (about our last night on the mission); it was the first chance I think we had to just exhale and go, ‘Holy cow.’”
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