Atlantis Launch
The final space shuttle launch took place on July 8, 2011. NASA

NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s, and in order to do that, it needs a spacecraft that can withstand space radiation and protect the crew during the mission. On Thursday, the Orion spacecraft will have its first test flight, marking the return of spacecraft launches in the U.S.

The space shuttle Atlantis was launched on July 8, 2011. The mission, STS-135, launched NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim as part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Ferguson served as the commander, and Hurley served as the pilot for the 135th and final mission in the 30-year history of space shuttle program.

"The space shuttle spreads its wings one final time for the start of a sentimental journey into history. For the last time, the space shuttle's main engines have fallen silent as the shuttle slips into the final chapter of a storied 30-year adventure," ascent commentator Rob Navias said at the time of the launch. Atlantis docked with the space station two days after it launched, and the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module was soon attached to the Harmony node.

Atlantis
Atlantis, as seen from the International Space Station, prior to docking during its final mission. NASA

The Atlantis crew and the ISS Expedition 28 crew spent the next few days unloading 11,600 pounds of supplies and equipment from Raffaello and the shuttle and loaded the former with 5,700 pounds of equipment and trash. A spacewalk, performed by NASA astronauts Ron Garan and Mike Fossum, was conducted to remove a failed cooling system pump module that was returned to Earth for analysis and repairs. Garan and Fossum installed two experiments, the Robotic Refueling Mission and the Optical Reflector mission, during the spacewalk.

The Atlantis crew wrapped up routine maintenance tasks and the delivery of the first American flag flown on a space shuttle, which is to be picked up by the next crew launched from the U.S. The space shuttle detached from the space station and returned to Earth on July 21, 2011.

Orion will mark the beginning of NASA's next generation of manned launches. In addition to Orion, which is expected to be used for a manned mission to Mars, NASA has tapped Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft, the CST and the Crew Dragon, respectively, that will bring astronauts to the space station as part of the Commercial Crew program.