Deorbit Burn Complete

Space shuttle Atlantis has completed the deorbit burn, setting it on a course to return to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Entry interface, the point at which the shuttle begins entering the Earth’s atmosphere, will occur at 5:24:50 a.m. EDT. Peak heating begins at 5:34 a.m., the first roll reversal to slow the spacecraft will take place at 5:41 a.m., and peak heating should end about 5:44 a.m.

Atlantis will head to the northeast across the west coast of Florida near Naples and trigger dual sonic booms as it slows to subsonic speeds at about 5:52 a.m. Commander Chris Ferguson will align Atlantis with Kennedy’s northwest to southeast runway 15 and touch down at 5:56:58 a.m.

The STS-135 landing ground track is here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/news/landing.html