July 21, 2011: The Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down at the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, ending STS-135, the last shuttle mission, ending the program after 30 years.
It launched from the Cape Canaveral on July 8, with a crew of 4: Captain Christopher Ferguson, U.S. Navy; Colonel Douglas Hurley, U.S. Marine Corps; Colonel Rex Walheim, U.S. Air Force; and a civilian, Dr. Sandra Magnus, a thermochemical engineer. They docked at the International Space Station on July 10, and made a delivery, staying over until July 19. Aside from its planned status as the last shuttle mission, there was little to distinguish this mission from any other.
Here are the Shuttles, and their fates:
* Enterprise, OV-101, first flew on August 12, 1977, within Earth's atmosphere, but never actually flew into space. It was taken on an international tour. It was considered as Challenger's replacement, but this idea was discarded.
In 2003, it was put on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Házy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution, at Dulles International Airport in the Washington suburb of Chantilly, Virginia, a facility to display aircraft too big to display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington. (Udvar-Házy, a Hungarian immigrant, is a billionaire who made his money in leasing aircraft, and donated the $66 million necessary to build the annex.)
In 2012, Enterprise was moved to the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, as part of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.
* Columbia, OV-102, first launched on April 12, 1981. It broke apart upon re-entry from a mission on February 1, 2003, killing all 7 astronauts. It was never officially replaced.
* Challenger, OV-099, first launched on April 4, 1983. It exploded shortly after launch for a mission on January 28, 1986, killing all 7 astronauts.
* Discovery, OV-103, first launched on August 30, 1984. In 2012, it took Enterprise's place on display at the Udvar-Házy Center.
* Atlantis, OV-104, first launched on October 3, 1985. In 2012, it was put on display at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, at Cape Canaveral, in Merritt Island, Florida.
* Endeavour, OV-105, first launched on May 7, 1992. Already under construction when Challenger exploded, it became that Shuttle's replacement. In 2012, it was put on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, in Exposition Park, adjacent to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Total flights: Discovery 39, Atlantis 33, Columbia 28, Endeavour 25, Challenger 10, Enterprise 5 flights, none into space itself.
The first replacement for the Shuttle program, the unmanned Artemis I, is planned for late Summer 2022. If all goes well, a manned Artemis II will launch in May 2024, and will loop around the Moon. If that succeeds, Artemis III will launch in 2025, and land human beings on the Moon for the 1st time since 1972.
UPDATE: Artemis I launched on November 16, 2022. Delays have pushed Artemis II back to February 2026. It will have a crew of 4, already selected, including the 1st woman to go to, if not set foot on, the Moon. Artemis III will launch no sooner than mid-2027.
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July 21, 2011 was a Thursday. Only 8 of a possible 15 Major League Baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Evan Longoria's home run and Sam Fuld's triple enabled James Shields to outpitch CC Sabathia. Derek Jeter went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* The New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2 at Citi Field.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Florida Marlins, 5-3 at what's now named Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners, 7-5 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-2 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies, 9-6 at Coors Field in Denver.
* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-0 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Ian Kennedy pitched 7 innings of shutout ball, outpitching Zack Greinke.
* And the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 1-0 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Jered Weaver pitched 7 innings of 7-hit shutout ball.
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