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“阿特兰蒂斯”19日终止与国际空间站的对接状态，开始返航，从而结束了美国航天飞机机群最后一次飞行，为航天飞机项目30年历史画上了句号。当这架航天飞机降落美国佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心、起落架在跑道上停止轮滑那一刻，标示着载人航天一个历史阶段的终结。 “阿特兰蒂斯”告别太空返回地球 The last space shuttle is headed home。 Atlantis left the International Space Station on Tuesday and slipped away after a partial lap around the station. Ten pairs of eyes pressed against the windows, four in the shuttle and six in the station。 All that remains of NASA's final shuttle voyage is the touchdown, targeted for the pre-dawn hours of Thursday back home in Florida. Its return ends the 30-year run of a vessel that kept US astronauts flying to and from orbit longer than any other rocketship。 "Get her home safely and enjoy the last couple days in space shuttle Atlantis," the station's Mission Control told commander Christopher Ferguson and his crew。 Replied Ferguson: "It's been an incredible ride." As a final salute, the space station rotated to provide never-before-seen views of the complex. Atlantis flew halfway around the outpost, cameras whirring aboard both craft to record the historic event。 Flight controllers savored the dual TV images. "It must look pretty spectacular," Ferguson said。 | 
