Cape Canaveral, Florida: A space shuttle left the International Space Station for the very last time yesterday, heading home to end the 30-year run of a vessel that kept astronauts flying to and from orbit longer than any other US rocketship.
Atlantis slipped away as the two spacecraft soared nearly 400km above the Pacific. All that remains of Nasa's final shuttle voyage is the touchdown, targeted for tomorrow's pre-dawn hours back home in Florida.
As a final salute, the space station was rotating 90 degrees to provide never-before-seen views of the complex. The shuttle and its crew of four were to fly halfway around the station, cameras whirring aboard both vessels to record the historic event.
Emotions ran high, both in orbit and at Mission Control. The naval ship's bell aboard the space station chimed three times as Atlantis slowly backed away.
"Atlantis departing the International Space Station for the last time," announced space station astronaut Ronald Garan Jr. "We'll miss you guys. Godspeed."
Shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson thanked the six station residents for their hospitality, then added: "We'll never forget the role the space shuttle played in its creation. Like a proud parent, we anticipate great things to follow... Farewell, ISS. Make us proud."
Flight controllers savoured the dual TV images of the shuttle — the last ever seen from orbit — and the station. Mission Control called it the second-best view on Earth.
And it was: Atlantis sailing serenely against the black void of space, its payload bay wide open, and the space station, its huge solar wings glowing golden in the sunlight.
Year's worth of supplies
Atlantis spent eight-and-a-half days at the space station and left behind a year's worth of supplies, insurance in the event commercial providers encounter delays in launching their own cargo ships.
It was the 37th shuttle mission, over more than 12 years, dedicated to building and maintaining the space station — the largest structure ever to orbit the planet.
