Sharife Gacel

Space Shuttle Atlantis completed its final spaceflight and mission (STS-135) on July 21, 2011. The spacecraft touched down at 5:57am EDT at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the 133rd and final landing in the history of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Had a chance to meet the STS-135 Space Shuttle Astronauts and learn a bit more about the final Space Shuttle mission. Space Shuttle Atlantis completed its final spaceflight and mission (STS-135) on July 21,...

Launch Details Target launch: April 1, 2026 at 6:24 p.m. EDT 2-hour launch window Backup opportunities through April 6 Mission Overview First crewed Artemis mission Crew: 4 astronauts (NASA + Canadian Space Agency) Duration: ~10 days Mission: Fly around the Moon and return Systems Being Tested Orion spacecraft with humans onboard Life support systems and deep space capabilities Prepares for future Moon missions

Sometimes progress is slow. Nothing exemplifies this more than the crawler-transporter that is used to transport rockets from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to launchpads out at Kennedy Space Center. It’s not surprising that the crawler makes for an incredible mental health metaphor as it encompasses the principles of stability, balance, and safety. We may not always see the progress in the moment, but with each steady step, we are getting closer to where we are meant to be.