NASA fuels Atlantis for end-of-era spaceflight

NASA fuels Atlantis for end-of-era spaceflight

Atlantis is poised to blaze a path into history Friday when it propels toward the heavens on the last-ever mission of the 30-year-old American space shuttle program.

The crew of four US astronauts boarded the shuttle as NASA kept a close eye on the gloomy weather forecasts, which have predicted rain, clouds and a 70 percent likelihood of a delay in the launch planned for 11:26am (1526 GMT).

Atlantis’s 12-day mission to the International Space Station marks the end of an era in human spaceflight, after which the United States will rely on Russia to send astronauts to space until a replacement US capsule can be built.

‘The beginning of the end of the space shuttle era is this morning,’ said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel.

At least 7,50,000 people have descended on Florida, with tourists eager to grab a glimpse of the final launch, but nostalgia has mingled with bitterness among the thousands of NASA employees set to lose their jobs.