Last-Ever Shuttle Launch Brings out Celebrities Big and Small

The space shuttle Atlantis stands poised for its final liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Image credit: collectSPACE/Robert Z. Pearlman)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — What can bring United States Attorney General Eric Holder, Geraldo Rivera and Kevin Sorbo, TV's "Hercules," together? While it may sound like a wacky new reality show, it's actually NASA's last-ever space shuttle launch.

The shuttle Atlantisis slated to blast off today (July 8) at 11:26 a.m. EDT (1526 GMT) on the shuttle program's final mission. NASA is retiring the iconic vehicles after 30 years of spaceflight to concentrate on sending astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to an asteroid and Mars.

Celebrities of widely varying star power are coming out to witness the historic event, according to NASA's VIP guest list. Holden and Sorbo are expected to attend, for example. So are Florida Governor Rick Scott and motivational speaker Vernice "Fly Girl" Armour. Gloria Estefan and Jimmy Buffet are other notable names on the list, too. [Photos: NASA Prepares for Final Shuttle Flight]

Here's NASA's complete list, from politicians to actors and musicians:

45. Vernice “Fly Girl” Armour, motivational speaker

VIP lists like this one are generally only valid for the day they're issued (the day the launch is scheduled for), NASA officials have said. If bad weather scrubs today's launch — which is 70 percent likely, according to the latest forecasts — the list for the next attempt might be different.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of Atlantis' final mission STS-135 or follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.