• MSN
  • Hotmail
  • More
    • Autos
    • My MSN
    • Video
    • Careers & Jobs
    • Personals
    • Weather
    • Delish
    • Quotes
    • White Pages
    • Games
    • Real Estate
    • Wonderwall
    • Horoscopes
    • Shopping
    • Yellow Pages
    • Local Edition
    • Traffic
    • Feedback
    • Maps & Directions
    • Travel
    • Full MSN Index
  • Bing
  • NBCNews.com
  • TODAY
  • Nightly News
  • Rock Center
  • Meet the Press
  • Dateline
  • msnbc
  • Breaking News
  • Newsvine
  • Home
  • US
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Local
  • Weather
Advertise | AdChoices
  • Recommended: Scientists identify the mystery killer behind Ireland's potato famine
  • Recommended: Cicada bugfest closes in on the East Coast's cities: How loud will it get?
  • Recommended: Pizza printouts? NASA funds project to make space meals with 3-D printer
  • Recommended: Months after death, Sally Ride wins honors from White House and NASA

Quantum fluctuations in science, space and society, from quarks to Hubble and Mars. Served up by Alan Boyle, NBC News Digital science editor. E-mail Alan, or connect via Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

  • ↓ About this blog
  • ↓ Archives
    • Icons Email E-mail updates
    • Icons Twitter Follow on Twitter
    • Icons Feed Subscribe to RSS
  • 21
    Jul
    2011
    2:08pm, EDT

    NASA via EPA

    The space shuttle Atlantis, appearing like a bean sprout against clouds and city lights, on its way home, as photographed by the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station on Thursday, July 21. Airglow over Earth can be seen in the background. The Atlantis returned to Earth marking the end of the space shuttle era when its wheels touched down for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center.

    Unprecedented view of the Atlantis photographed by the Expedition 28 crew

    By Elena Grothe

    What a shot!

    Related content:

    • Space shuttle Atlantis lands, ending an era at NASA
    • Slideshow: Final countdown for Atlantis
    • Shuttle photos on PhotoBlog
    • Cosmic Log on msnbc

    55 comments

    This is the most beautiful sight. What a sweet ending. AS the late Jimmy Durante would say "Aurivoir, Alfweidisan and Inka Dinka Doo". Good night shuttle program. Rest easy. Job well done. (please excuse my spelling)

    Show more
    Explore related topics: space, shuttle, nasa, atlantis, airglowbbb

Browse

  • featured,
  • science,
  • space,
  • images,
  • nasa,
  • innovation,
  • cosmic-log,
  • video,
  • john-roach,
  • tech-science,
  • mars,
  • new-space,
  • daily-dose,
  • technology,
  • energy,
  • participation,
  • environment,
  • whimsy,
  • holiday-calendar,
  • planets,
  • on-the-fringe,
  • archaeology,
  • physics,
  • spacex,
  • curiosity,
  • moon,
  • books,
  • msl,
  • politics,
  • aurora,
  • hubble,
  • sun,
  • robot,
  • religion,
  • japan,
  • 3-d,
  • genetics,
  • iss,
  • movies,
  • astrobiology,
  • saturn,
  • automotive,
  • updated,
  • evolution,
  • shuttle
Also
Advertise | AdChoices

Elena Grothe

is a multimedia editor at msnbc.com

Archives

  • 2013
    • May (36)
    • April (55)
    • March (53)
    • February (44)
    • January (45)
  • 2012
    • December (67)
    • November (12)
    • October (39)
    • September (43)
    • August (62)
    • July (45)
    • June (51)
    • May (46)
    • April (40)
    • March (56)
    • February (63)
    • January (66)
  • 2011
    • December (89)
    • November (73)
    • October (62)
    • September (67)
    • August (61)
    • July (70)
    • June (82)
    • May (86)
    • April (69)
    • March (94)
    • February (67)
    • January (82)
  • 2010
    • December (118)
    • November (62)
    • October (82)
    • September (63)
    • August (62)
    • July (54)
    • June (83)
    • May (51)
    • April (31)
    • March (35)
    • February (36)
    • January (35)
  • 2009
    • December (42)
    • November (34)
    • October (35)
    • September (40)
    • August (32)
    • July (38)
    • June (45)
    • May (37)
    • April (42)
    • March (38)
    • February (37)
    • January (35)
  • 2008
    • December (33)
    • November (31)
    • October (42)
    • September (48)
    • August (35)
    • July (37)
    • June (42)
    • May (43)
    • April (40)
    • March (39)
    • February (42)
    • January (42)
  • 2007
    • December (29)
    • November (40)
    • October (57)
    • September (35)
    • August (47)
    • July (38)
    • June (44)
    • May (44)
    • April (43)
    • March (40)
    • February (41)
    • January (47)
  • 2006
    • December (45)
    • November (49)
    • October (39)
    • September (50)
    • August (58)
    • July (45)
    • June (56)
    • May (8)

Most Commented

  • Why sign up for a one-way Mars trip? Three applicants explain the appeal (332)
  • Curse or coincidence? Scientists study Tornado Alley's past and future (125)
  • Buggy hordes of cicadas sighted in Virginia ... but New York? Not yet (77)
  • Scientists identify the mystery killer behind Ireland's potato famine (74)
  • Dolphins persuade Navy trainers to dredge up 130-year-old torpedo (46)
  • Months after death, Sally Ride wins honors from White House and NASA (67)
  • Pizza printouts? NASA funds project to make space meals with 3-D printer (38)

Other blogs

  • The Body Odd
  • Red Tape Chronicles
  • PhotoBlog
  • US News
  • Open Channel

NBCNews.com top stories

3147,10
© 2013 NBCNews.com
  • Science on NBCNews.com
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • Site map
  • Careers
  • Closed captioning
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertise