CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is getting hit up for extra launch passes, and mission stickers and pins are flying off the shelf. Another Twittering crowd is descending on the space center. Even science-fiction writers want in on the action.
Welcome to space shuttle Atlantis’ 32nd and final voyage.
When Atlantis blasts off — show time is 2:20 p.m. EDT Friday — only two more missions will remain before the shuttle program ends.
Besides equipment for the international space station, Atlantis holds two big tool bins that are crammed full of shuttle and station memorabilia: flags, medallions, bookmarks and the like.
Perhaps the only people in town who refuse to fuss over Atlantis’ last flight are the six astronauts who will ride the rocket ship into the history books. That’s because the future of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is fuzzy. Hope persists that Atlantis will ride yet again, launch director Mike Leinbach noted Wednesday.
