The Space Shuttle Atlantis and NASA's inescapable technological decline.

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Atlantis lifts off from Cape Canaveral, FL.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis, the last operating shuttle in NASA's stable, lifted off from Cape Canaveral for the very last time carrying approximately 8,000 pounds of necessary supplies for The International Space Station. The four man crew - which includes: Commander Chris Ferguson, and three others - will be in space for twelve days as they resupply the station for a long and protracted period of extremely limited access.

Upon Atlantis' return from space, The United States of America will be totally dependent upon The Russian Space Agency - a former ' Cold War Enemy ' - to ferry its own astronauts into space for at least the next 8 years. While the executives at NASA are putting an extremely optimistic spin upon this particular turn of events, many others within this once legendary agency are not nearly so enthusiastic about it.