NASA Shuttle Program Coming to an End as Atlantis Launched For Last Time Today

The NASA Space Shuttle Program will come to an end after 30 years Friday with its last launch into space.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis left the launch-pad at 11:26 a.m. EST Friday, despite lightening strikes that happened near the launch pad Thursday. Those who will be aboard Atlantis are: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.

(Watch the launch live!)

Want to read more about the launch? Lakeville Patch's sister Patches in Florida have some wonderful coverage:

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St. Clair Shores Patch:

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In honor of the program's last flight, Patch has compiled a list things you should know about the program and the future plans of NASA:

1) The space shuttle program debuted April 12, 1981.

2) The space shuttle was humanity's first reusable space craft and, as a result, it has pushed beyond the boundaries of discovery and into a world of more knowledge and technology.

3) There were five space shuttles: Columbia (the first), Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavor.

4) Atlantis was NASA's fourth space shuttle and will be making its 33rd flight Friday.

5) While the space shuttle program is coming to an end, NASA is planning its MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission for 2013. This will be the first program tobe completely devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. The goal of MAVEN is to determine the role that loss of atmospheric gas to space played in changing the Martian climate through time. (Where did the atmosphere–and the water–go?)

"The end of the space shuttle program does not mean the end of NASA, or even of NASA sending humans into space," NASA states on its website. "NASA has a robust program of exploration, technology development and scientific research that will last for years to come."

Information and facts were taken from NASA's official website, nasa.gov.