crew. we have more on the last mission. for the last time with atlantis on pad 39-a, a farewell from the ground teams who have spent 30 years launching shuttle missions. on behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of this true american icon. one more time. liftoff, the final liftoff of atlantis. at 11:29 eastern time, the 135th shuttle mission thundered off the florida coast on a resupply mission to the space station. while on the ground three quarters of a million people gathered to witness history. wish them godspeed. i m so proud and happy so have seen them go out. but controversy continues to rage within nasa and its alumni rankst ranks over whether america is surrendering its position as the space leader by