As Atlantis touched down at Kennedy Space Center on July 21, STS-135, and the U.S. space shuttle program, came to an end. For months before that flight, and ever since, conversations and often heated debate about the end of the nation's human space transportation system, and what it means for our future in space, have held the attention of those commited to seeing the nation remain in space beyond the lifetime of the international space station. Word of the final go for developing the heavv-lift SLS, or space launch system, brought its own set of questions, as many argued that it was a 'rocket without a destination.' Continuation of work on the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle did little to assuage those angry over either the cancellation of the Constellation program or a 'premature' standdown of the shuttle.
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