It's something we may never see again: a NASA shuttle returning from to earth. When Atlantis touched down early on Thursday morning, it marked the end of more than a half century of NASA blasting astronauts into space.

American astronauts will still be ferried to the International Space Station on Russian shuttles, and private firms are getting in on the burgeoning spaceflight industry, but Atlantis still marks the end of an era. Take a look at some images of the momentous occasion:

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Space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 21, 2011.The space shuttle Atlantis glided home through a moonlit sky for its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, completing a 30-year odyssey for NASA's shuttle fleet. REUTERS/Scott Audette
NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis Return ends Shuttle Era PHOTOS
Atlantis and ISS Separate for the Final TimeThis picture of space shuttle Atlantis was photographed from the International Space Station as the orbiting complex and the shuttle performed their relative separation in the early hours of July 19, 2011.The Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, which transported tons of supplies to the complex, can be seen in the cargo bay. It is filled with different materials from the station for return to Earth.Onboard the station were Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko, commander; Sergei Volkov and Alexander Samokutyaev, both flight engineers; Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and NASA astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan, all flight engineers.Onboard the shuttle were STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. IBTimes/NASA
The space shuttle Atlantis makes a night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this image from NASA TV
The space shuttle Atlantis makes a night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this image from NASA TV July 21, 2011. Reuters
Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands
Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011. Reuters
Space shuttle Atlantis is towed to its hangar after landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida
Space shuttle Atlantis is towed to its hangar after landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011. Reuters
NASA handout photo shows the space shuttle Atlantis through a window of the International Space Station as the shuttle departed the station bound for earth
This unprecedented view of the space shuttle Atlantis, appearing like a bean sprout against clouds and city lights shows the shuttle on its way home as photographed by the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station through a window of the station in this July 21, 2011 NASA handout photo. Airglow over Earth can be seen in the background. The Atlantis and its four-member crew returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday after a mission to resupply the International Space Station, ending a 12-year program to build and service the orbital research outpost. Reuters
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