The Last Launch

(Via)

The Atlantis was recently rolled out to its final launch point, Launch Pad 39 in anticipation of its final July 8th mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Its kind of sad to think that this will be the last shuttle that the US will probably launch in a long time. The launch marks the end of the 30 year Space Shuttle Program, and a possible end to space travel effort from North America for a while. Whatever happened to all those ambitions of finding new, inhabitable planets? Guess we'll be focusing on that research from the ground for now.  Bummer.