The final shuttle crew honors the ground teams who guided them

Space · Published 17 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Watch the STS-135 crew pay tribute to the flight control teams who supervised the final space shuttle mission. This ceremony marks the end of an era for NASA's shuttle program.

A formal plaque-hanging event took place on 26 July 2011, involving Atlantis's team: Rex Walheim, Sandy Magnus, Doug Hurley, and Commander Chris Ferguson. This event served as a tribute to the flight control teams that managed their 13-day mission.

The ceremony took place in two locations: first in the International Space Station flight control room, and finally in the Space Shuttle flight control room. The proceedings were overseen by lead flight directors Chris Edelen and Kwatsi Alibaruho.

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