Space shuttle Atlantis is set for its final mission today and has been fueled by NASA ready for its last journey to the International Space Station. The scheduled blast off time is 2:20 pm with preparations going well and weather conditions looking good. More than 500,000 gallons of fuel was pumped into Atlantis before dawn.

The 12-day mission has an all-male crew of 6 and after this Atlantis mission there are only 2 more missions left for the space shuttles, one for Discovery and one for Endeavour. The space shuttle program is set to conclude its 30-year history by the end of this year, according to The Associated Press.

The mission will deliver an extra compartment to the ISS plus fresh batteries, food, laptops and other supplies. Three spacewalks will be carried out by Commander Kenneth Ham and his crew to replace used batteries and instal an antenna. People wanting to witness the final blast-off of Atlantis are arriving at the Kennedy Space Center including TV host David Letterman.

NASA has also invited around 150 Twitter guests to enthuse the public by promoting the missions. It’s going to be a poignant departure for the final Atlantis mission and we wish the Atlantis and all its crew a safe journey. For more on this story go to The Associated Press. Are you sad to see the final departure of Atlantis, and the wind-down of the shuttle program, or maybe you feel the money will be better spent on other things? We’d be interested in hearing your views.

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