The space shuttle - the end. Atlantis landed safely

The question that will remain open right now is what's next for NASA

Early in the morning before sunrise in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis landed for the last time.
Shuttle commander Chris Ferguson took the helms about a minute before landing and made a smooth landing. The weather conditions were excellent, there was no significant wind.

However, the somewhat dark ending of the shuttle project may also indicate the state of the program. Immediately after the completion of the landing, Ferguson said on the communication system: "The space shuttles have changed the way we see the world, and the way we see the universe. "America is not going to stop investigating, thank you for protecting us and bringing the show to a happy ending."

Sources in the field of space accuse the US president and Congress of a lack of vision due to the frequent cuts in the NASA budget and the lack of decision on what to do next, which caused the US to lose its ability to send humans into space until further notice (or one of the private companies will be ready) and to be dependent on the Russians .