it s the end of the historic shuttle program that dates back to the 1980s. while the crew says gogo-bye to the shuttle, many nasa employees ll be saying good-bye to their jobs. reporter: on their last full day aboard the space shuttle atlantis the crew practiced landings on a computer laptop, peered out the windows and read poetry. the men on the ground who will lead atlantis back through the landing said thursday morning would be tough. i don t think you d be human if you didn t feel something. every time you feel something you have to remember this thing s not over yet. reporter: as the crew prepared for the return home nasa and local officials from the surrounding areas said they were not expecting the massive crowds that gathered for the launch. it s inside the kennedy space center, it s not easy to see. this thihi comes down at such a steep angle. reporter: for almost 2,300 space shuttle workers, thursday will be their last day on the job. 60 days ago, layoff notices