Like the stars in the sky, the number of firsts accomplished by the U.S. Space Shuttle program is countless. From the first woman in space to the first Tweet in space, the shuttle has made history and inspired generations.

From now through the conclusion of STS-135 - the final mission of the Atlantis orbiter - Boeing will honor the shuttle's legacy by highlighting how thousands of Boeing employees have contributed to this trailblazing program. Boeing has been alongside NASA since the first manned mission, and we intend to be part of the next era of human spaceflight as we continue exploring the cosmos.

"Many of our employees grew up with the shuttle - either supporting the program or in a way that motivated them to join aerospace as a career," said Roger Krone, president of Network and Space Systems. "Together with NASA, our teammates and the nation, we're commemorating the accomplishments and achievements of the shuttle program and looking forward to the next chapter of human space exploration."

Visit http://www.boeing.com/bds/mediakit/2011/sts_135/index.html for a collection of materials about Boeing and its role in the shuttle program. For more insight into the hearts and memories of our employees, visit "Where Memories Soar: The Legacy of the Boeing Space Shuttle Program" to read about the roles Boeing employees have played in designing, building, launching and sustaining the shuttle.

"The most memorable and fun time during my 31 years in the Shuttle Program has to be getting this complex machine to fly. While the Orbiter definitely looked cool, the assembled integrated stack was unlike anything I had ever seen," said Essam Ismail, a Boeing employee at Kennedy Space Center. "Like the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, it will be in history books for generations to come. We did something that would be viewed by future generations as a dream come alive."

New stories will be posted to Boeing.com and the conversation will continue on Twitter by following @BoeingDefense and #shuttleandbeyond.