"After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history, and it's come to a final stop." Those were the words of Capt. Christopher J. Ferguson, commander of the shuttle Atlantis, upon landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Thursday morning. After 135 launches, NASA has officially retired the manned shuttle program, which means it's time to look back on its storied history the only way that seems appropriate: by remembering favorite space movies? Sure, let's go with it!
From The Right Stuff to Apollo 13 to Space Cowboys, Space Chimps and even Transformers: Dark of the Moon, NASA and space flight have been a part of Hollywood lore for nearly as long as space shuttle missions. For my money, you can't really beat The Right Stuff, an epic (it was two VHS tapes back in the day!) about the dawn of the space program, though if you're in the mood for less historically accurate tales of astronauts, there's always Armageddon. ("Talk about the wrong stuff.")
What are your favorite space program films? Does Space Camp still make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? Are you an October Sky kind of person? Watch clips from The Right Stuff and Armageddon below, then leave your thoughts in the comments section.
"Give this to Truman!" That ridiculousness always gets me.
[Photo: Getty Images]