By Sascha Cordner
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-976854.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Four astronauts took off in Atlantis Friday morning, marking the final voyage of NASA's space shuttle program. As Sascha Cordner reports, a Central Florida lawmaker was among the thousands of spectators to see the last space shuttle blast off.
State Representative Scott Randolph of Orlando says though he could barely see a thing, he says it was a bittersweet, yet thrilling moment to witness.
"Obviously, watching the shuttle program come to an end is difficult for Central Florida and a lot of people from my district work out there as well and are concerned about the future of space missions in Florida and the future of their job in Florida. So, that's a little difficult. But, of course, any shuttle launch now is exciting."
The Democratic Lawmaker says NASA is closing down the space shuttle program to focus more on asteroids, Mars, and other destinations. Officials have predicted the last shuttle mission will cause about 27-thousand jobs connected to NASA's shuttle efforts to also come to an end.