CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — At Mission Control on Sunday, lead flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho gave the OK for the final docking in space-shuttle history. Flashbacks to the shuttle’s first space-station docking — with Russia’s Mir in 1995 — flooded his mind. He was a NASA trainee then.
The station’s naval bell chimed a salute — one of many landmarks of the final two- week shuttle mission that are being savored.
Cries of joy and laughter filled the connected vessels once the hatches swung open and the two crews — 10 fliers representing three countries — exchanged hugs, handshakes and kisses on the cheek. Cameras floated everywhere, recording every moment.
Atlantis, carrying a year’s worth of supplies, is being retired after this flight, the last of the 30-year shuttle program.
“I won’t say that I got close to welling up in the eyes, but I will say that it was a powerful moment for me,” Alibaruho said later.
