The end of an era and the beginning of a new one

Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Thursday, July 21, 2011. The landing of Atlantis marks the end of NASA's  30 year space shuttle program.  (AP Photo/Pie

The space shuttle program came to a close on Thursday when Atlantis lands at Cape Canaveral. View photos of space travel's past, present and future. PHOTOS