Four astronauts will board the Space Shuttle tomorrow morning for the last ride on America’s Space Shuttle program. More than one million people will view the launch of STS-135 at the NASA Kennedy Center, and millions more on the Web and TV.   You follow the mission on the NASA blog here, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The Shuttle sits on the launch pad ready to make a journey to the Space Station, carrying about 10,000 pounds of supplies that NASA estimates will get the Space Station through 2012. It’s an important mission, but it means that future NASA astronauts will need to hitch a ride on the Russain Soyuz spacecraft, which is not able to carry very much into space. America’s Space Shuttle Program has come to an end, at one time employing about 135,000 people; it now employs about 6500, and all of them will lose their jobs in two weeks.

But this end also brings with it reflection on what is next for NASA, and how the decision to scrap the Moon/Mars mission in short term, and to invest in new technologies for space travel will affect a new generation of astronauts and scientists who will guide human exploration of space. NASA still has a robust program of space exploration, and earth research studies, but the champion of bringing NASA to the publics attention has been the human space programs including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the Space Station, and the Space Shuttle.

As a result of this last mission, there will be discussions about NASA’s future, and the goals that NASA hopes to achieve.  You can see some of NASA’s future missions here.

Whatever your opinion is about the Space Program, listening to an astronaut talk about the experience of space and exploration is sure to impact your personal view.  I was very fortunate years ago to be in Florida for one of the launches of the Space Shuttle.  I’ll never forget the experience.   Here is a Rex Walheim, in his own words.