Happy Space, Planet Earth!

[Kaffsky]

At the Cape Canaveral launch site has made a successful landing last the space shuttle "Atlantis ."
 Completed a 30- year-old Space Shuttle program of the National Aerospace Agency of the U.S. (NASA).

 Now the Russian "Unions" will remain the only means of delivering crews to the ISS until 2016.
 
 In the picture, located below, combined two photos .
 Between the first and second clicks of a camera shutter was exactly 30 years.
 The pictures are the same people : Chris Bray and his father , Kenneth ,
 located on the observation platform near the start of first (STS- 1, April 12, 1981 )
 and last (STS- 135, July 8, 2011 ) programs missions Space Shuttle ...

Reason for leaving shuttle flights - to develop a resource
 and the enormous financial costs of training and service shuttles.

And this is well and good when the " old piece of iron " , spent his life , removed from service.

And what about the huge financial costs were relevant ... when the space race with the Soviet Union ,
 then with the " attendants " had no problems. >

 As a result , progress in space ...