KSC-2011-5667

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- As the sun rises over Florida's Space Coast, the landing convoy crew that will make space shuttle Atlantis safe and secure for towing to its processing hangar begins to work on the spacecraft following wheelstop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis' final return from space at 5:57 a.m. EDT completed the 13-day, 5.2-million-mile STS-135 mission. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis safely and successfully brought a close to NASA's Space Shuttle Program. STS-135 delivered spare parts, equipment and supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett