This morning the space shuttle Atlantis was launched on its final mission. In case you missed the live webcast of the launch this morning, the video is available on YouTube and in NASA’s video gallery. I’ve embedded it below.

After the launch NASA held an hour-long press conference in which a number of questions about the current state of NASA’s programs and the future of NASA’s space exploration missions. You can watch that video here.

National Geographic has updated their pages about the shuttle program with new images, videos, and articles. A few of the many things worth highlighting on National Geographic’s pages include this photo gallery of Discovery’s milestones, a history of the shuttle program, and five myths about the Challenger disaster.  

The New York Times published 30 Years of the Space Shuttle which is an interactive timeline about the shuttle program. Place your cursor over each marker on the timeline to learn more about each shuttle’s missions and milestones. Thanks to Angela Maiers for sharing this resource.

Larry Ferlazzo has also assembled a good list of resources for teaching and learning about the shuttle program.