I’ve just returned from an all-day event at Kennedy Space Center in which I got to witness the final launch of space shuttle Atlantis. What made today even more special was the fact that this launch was also the final launch of any type of space shuttle vehicle. I’m extremely exhausted, sweaty, and sunburned, so I plan to write a much more in-depth post about my launch experience in the near future. In the meantime, please enjoy viewing some of the photos I captured both yesterday and today.

Photo of the space shuttle on the evening prior to the final launch of Atlantis from NASA.

The NASA Astrovan rides by the crowd as it transports the astronauts to the launch pad.

Space Shuttle Atlantis just seconds after launching.

Space Shuttle Atlantis as it beams through a layer of low lying clouds.