Those UCF students up early Monday morning were lucky enough to catch the last scheduled night shuttle launch ever. The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts blasted off at 6:21 a.m. on its way to deliver parts and science experiments to the almost complete space station.
The mission is scheduled to last almost two weeks, and there will be two “firsts” on this mission: four women in space at the same time and two Japanese astronauts. There are only 3 more shuttle launches scheduled, with the last shuttle launch scheduled for September 16, 2010.
On April 15th, President Barack Obama will visit the Space Coast to present his post-shuttle plans for NASA. Obama has already canceled NASA’s follow-up moon program, so what he has to say will be closely watched by those in the area and students in UCF’s Aerospace Engineering program.
Pictures
From NASA TV:
From Orlando:
