Atlantis (Short) Trailer (2011)

Trailer for the short film Atlantis.

In early 2011 NASA announced the space shuttle Atlantis was to be retired after one last launch into orbit on July 8th, bringing to a close the shuttle program and with it the end of manned spaceflight for the foreseeable future. STS-135, referred to as “The Final Mission”, seemed to be just that, a few rented seats on the Soviet rocket for repair missions to the ISS aside.

The announcement of this final launch triggered an outpouring of public interest not seen since the days of the Apollo moon missions, with millions of people coming from all over the world to converge on Florida’s Space Coast in the rainy days leading up to the launch, packing hotels and camping out to secure the best spots.

Ben Goddard, a 30-year-old science teacher from Los Angeles is one such person, traveling at the last minute, having wanted to see a launch as long as he could remember. Allison Talbot, a 25 year old from New York City is another, the youngest photographer at an ailing news magazine sent to capture the side of the launch typically passed over.

Ben and Allison will cross paths on the day before the launch in the town that lives in the shadow of the space shuttle until they finally connect. This is just one story of many from the final launch.