Atlantis' perfect landing closes out shuttle era

The Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center on the final U.S. shuttle mission after 30 years. "Atlantis is home," NASA Mission Control said.

Update at 7:35 a.m. ET: Shuttle commander Chris Ferguson, in brief remarks on the tarmac beside Atlantis, said the vehicle "performed absolutely wonderfully, not a glitch" and thanked his crewmembers and the NASA teams for their work.

GALLERY:  Atlantis through the years.

"Although we got to take the ride, we sure hope that everyone who worked or touched or envied or admired a space shuttle was able to take a little part of the journey with us," he said.

Update at 6:59 a.m. ET: Entry flight director Tony Ceccacci addressed his team for the last time. "The work done in this room and this building will never again be duplicated," he said. "Hold your head up high with pride as we close out the shuttle program. You have earned it."

The work, he said, has "made America a better place."

Then he signed off: "God bless you all, and Godspeed."

Update at 6:50 a.m. ET: A record crowd of 2,000 gathered near the landing strip, thousands more packed the space center and countless others watched history unfold from afar as NASA's longest-running spaceflight program came to a close.

"After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop," radioed commander Christopher Ferguson.

"Job well done, America," replied Mission Control.

Update 6:45 a.m. ET: All four astronauts have left Atlantis.

Update at 6:39 a.m. ET: The crew has begun to leave the shuttle.

Update at 6:24 a.m. ET: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says NASA will continue its "grand tradition of exploration."

He writes this on his blog:

This final shuttle flight marks the end of an era, but today, we recommit ourselves to continuing human space flight and taking the necessary, and difficult, steps to ensure America's leadership in human spaceflight for years to come. Children who dream of being astronauts today may not fly on the space shuttle, but, one day, they may walk on Mars. The future belongs to us. And just like those who came before us, we have an obligation to set an ambitious course and take an inspired nation along for the journey.

Bolden, a former shuttle commander, lauds the shuttle program for its "many firsts, many proud moments."
"I'm ready to get on with the next big challenge," he says. "The future is bright for human spaceflight and for NASA. American ingenuity is alive and well. And it will fire up our economy and help us win the future, but only if we dream big and imagine endless possibilities. That future begins today."

Update at 6:05 a.m. ET: NASA notes that Atlantis, the youngest of the shuttles, has flown 33 missions and traveled more than 125 million miles. It will now go on display at the Kennedy Space Center.

Update at 5:58 a.m. ET: NASA control: "Atlantis is home. Its journey complete. A moment to be savored."

Update at 5:56 a.m. ET: Atlantis touches down.

Update at 5:47 a.m. ET: Shuttle is 10 minutes from touchdown.

Update at 5:43 a.m. ET: The shuttle was traveling 2,300 miles from touchdown as it emerged from the peak heat levels. It makes the shuttle glow. "We really wish we could share with everybody this really cool glow," Commander Chris Ferguson radioed as he and his crew re-established radio communications. "We're doing fantastic."

Update at 5:42 a.m. ET: Atlantis crosses Central America, near the Yucatan Peninsula.

Update at 5:37 a.m. ET: About 50 trucks have moved into position next to runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center. Inside are teams of technicians that will tend to the shuttle and the astronauts after its landing.

Update at 5:36 a.m. ET: Atlantis nears the coast of South America.

Update at 5:34 a.m. ET: As the shuttle descends, it is making a series of S-turns, like a skier coming down a mountain, to slow down the craft.

Update at 5:33 a.m.ET: Atlantis is still 46 miles above the Earth's surface and 3,000 miles from touchdown.

Update at 5: 31 a.m. ET: The heat of entry is reaching its highest point and that will last about 10 minutes, NASA says.

Update at 5:25 a.m. ET: Atlantis enters Earth's atmosphere at 25 times the speed of sound as the craft streaks across the Pacific Ocean on a southwest to northeast path. The crew will begin to feel the effects of gravity for the first time in almost two weeks. It is around 5,000 miles from the landing site at the Kennedy Space Center.

Update at 5:12 a.m. ET: NASA: "Atlantis is about 15 minutes away from entering the first of the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean."

Update at 5:08 a. m. ET: NASA control: "Everything is looking very good."

Update at 5:07 a.m. ET: The shuttle will enter the Earth's atmosphere at 5:24 a.m, USA TODAY's Donna Leinwand Leger reports.

Update at 5 a.m. ET: Two engines, each with 6,000 pounds of thrust, fired to begin the deorbit burn as the shuttle traveled over Malaysia. It's still traveling at 17,000 miles per hour, but the speed will drop dramatically as the shuttle meets the Earth's atmosphere where the air is thicker

Update at 4:59 a.m. ET: Following the burn, shuttle commander Chris Ferguson is flipping shuttle over so its nose is facing the direction of travel and its belly, which is protected by a heat shield, is facing the Earth,USA TODAY's Donna Leinwand Leger reports from the Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle makes contact with the Earth's upper atmosphere at 5:24 a.m., which will heat up the shuttle. Friction will help slow the shuttle down for landing.

Update at 4:51 a.m. ET: Atlantis fires its two Orbital Maneuvering Systems engines for just over 3 minutes to slow the shuttle to 331 feet per second to allow it to begin its descent. "Good burn," NASA control tells the crew after the procedure.

Original posting: NASA forecasters promised excellent weather along Florida's coast today for the pre-dawn landing of Atlantis that will mark the 135th and final shuttle flight.

Atlantis, with its four-person crew, is scheduled to glide on Runway 15 at 5:56 a.m. ET, ending 30 years of the shuttle program. A backup landing opportunity would put the shuttle on the ground at 7:33 a.m.ET.

Despite some talk of delaying the landing until daylight, NASA's Entry Flight Director Tony Ceccacci says Atlantis will stick to the original schedule.

"If you have a good opportunity, you are going to take it, day or night," said NASA Entry Flight Director Tony Ceccacci.

If today's landing had to be scrubbed, the shuttle has enough electrical power-generating capability to remain in space until Saturday.

In a growing list of "final acts," the crew released its final payload on Wednesday, a tiny satellite called PicoSat for the U.S. Department of Defense. It was the 180th payload deployed from a space shuttle.

As the satellite began its journey, astronaut Rex Walheim read a poem that he had written:

One more satellite takes its place in the sky,

The last of many that the shuttle let fly.

Magellan, Galileo, Hubble and more

have sailed beyond her payload bay doors.

They've filled science books and still more to come.

The shuttle's legacy will live on when her flying is done.

Atlantis, the last of the shuttles to be retired, will remain at Kennedy Space Center, eventually going on public display at the visitors complex.

Discovery is bound for the Smithsonian Institution in suburban Washington, and Endeavour for the California Science Center in Los Angeles.