Scott Heidler

End of space shuttle marked by a question mark

The final preparations for the final launch of NASA's space shuttle programme have created a mood nearly as heavy as the 80 per cent humidity here at the Kennedy Space Centre on Florida's east coast.

This is my fourth trip here in 10 months and the vibe is distinctly different.

There are more TV satellite trucks parked in front of the press centre just off from the famous launch countdown clock, and some of the NASA staff are clearly overwhelmed.

But I imagine their less-than-jovial mood is not solely based on the fact that 2,500 journalists are here to cover the last launch, but because this is "it".

After Shuttle Atlantis blasts off on a pillar of flame, no more shuttle launches, no more steady and regular media attention on NASA and the splendour of its regular rocket launches into space.

And there is a huge question mark hanging over the future of US spaceflight.  For the foreseeable future, US astronauts will be r