CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — How would you look after 120 million miles? Atlantis might appear a little scuffed up to outsiders as it heads into retirement after a quarter-century of spaceflight.
But to the trained eyes of NASA engineers, the ship is still in its prime — a fact that adds to wistful emotions at the space agency as the shuttle program winds down.
Atlantis returned home from its 32nd and final voyage Wednesday, the first of three shuttles that are closing out their flying careers and eventually heading to museums.
“The legacy of Atlantis, now in the history books,” Mission Control announced.
About 1,200 guests lined the Kennedy Space Center runway to watch the shuttle glide through a clear morning sky to a flawless landing at the end of a 12-day journey.
NASA employees wore white ribbons with the name “Atlantis” and the shuttle’s picture embossed in gold. Even the lead flight directors came in from Houston.
“That was pretty sweet,” Mission Control radioed after Atlantis came to a stop. “That was a suiting end to an incredible mission.”
Only two shuttle flights remain — by Discovery and Endeavour — before the entire fleet is retired. Barring a reprieve from the White House, Atlantis will stand by as a rescue ship for the very last shuttle flight, then take off for a museum somewhere.
The shuttle came back “really, really clean,” with just a couple of dings in its thermal shielding, said NASA officials who were on the runway with beaming crew and shuttle workers.
