Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 crew, loading up for liftoff (photo)

Xeni Jardin 7:45 am Fri Jul 8, 2011

The crew of the 135th and final Space Shuttle Mission, Atlantis, getting ready to load up and suit up for launch at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Pictured from left to right are NASA astronauts Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus, both mission specialists; Doug Hurley, pilot; and Chris Ferguson, commander.

Shot by Mark Usciak for WWMMB Radio based in Melbourne, Florida.

I'm here with Miles O'Brien, astronaut Leroy Chiao, and the Space Flight Now webcast crew (watch here!), and all systems look go for an 11:26am launch at the time of this blog post. The clouds are clearing, the sun is out, and we are all optimistic that we will witness the final space shuttle leave earth within the hour.

Godspeed, Atlantis!

The Final Space Shuttle Launch: Atlantis STS-135 (liveblog + webcast)

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