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The last Space Shuttle returned to Earth 15 years ago

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So, how are those commercial replacements working out for you, NASA?

This week marks 15 years since a Space Shuttle last returned from orbit and the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program.

Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space Center 15 years ago this week, marking the final mission for the program.

STS-135 was originally designated STS-335, the Launch On Need (LON) mission for the previous STS-134 flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. LON missions had been a feature of the Space Shuttle program following the Columbia disaster.

If a Space Shuttle was damaged, another could be launched at short notice to rescue the crew. NASA assigned Launch On Need flights separate STS-3xx designations, so the rescue mission for STS-116 was STS-317, STS-117 was STS-318, and so on. There were exceptions (a notable one was the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission, which had STS-400 ready to...

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