This really is kind of a sad day in my opinion. It's sad to see the end of our Shuttle program after 30 years. I watched the first lift off back in 1981 and am happy to have watched the final one this morning. Really hope we get a replacement vehicle for the future here in the next few years. I don't like the idea of being dependent on another country to launch our own astronauts into space.
I remember getting up when it was still dark to watch the launches on TV. It was such a huge deal back then and, as a kid, I was blown away watching the shuttles take off. Whenever they would land in California at Edwards we would try to go see the landings. Those were some of the most incredible experiences as well.
Just recently, my wife and I were up in the mountains and we saw what we thought was a plane, but it was going super fast. Faster than anything I had ever seen. Sure enough, the sonic boom soon followed. I thought, "That must be the shuttle." Sure enough I found out later, due to bad weather in Florida, the shuttle was diverted to California.
It is truly the end of an era. I also hope there will be another vehicle to take the place of the shuttle.