KSC-2011-5749

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Convoy Command Center vehicle is positioned near space shuttle Atlantis on the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The command vehicle is equipped to control critical communications between the crew still aboard Atlantis and the Launch Control Center. The team will monitor the health of the orbiter systems and direct convoy operations made up of about 40 vehicles, including 25 specially designed vehicles to assist the crew in leaving the shuttle, and prepare the vehicle for towing from the SLF to its processing hangar. Main gear touchdown was at 5:57:00 a.m. EDT, followed by nose gear touchdown at 5:57:20 a.m., and wheelstop at 5:57:54 a.m. On board are STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis marks the 26th nighttime landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program and the 78th landing at Kennedy. Atlantis and its crew delivered to the International Space Station the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and supplies that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 is the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis and the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky