When asked what will happen when the shuttle is phased out, Beaman said: "This (test) is actually a support for exploration. If the new vehicle is shuttle-derived or something like that, we'll use this data to support where we go in the future. So this isn't just shuttle support; it's for the future also."

After the test, new Thiokol employee Michelle Yung said, "Oh, it was really exciting. After the first shock you can feel your pants flutter when it hits you, and then afterward the whole earth is shaking."

"Very neat, yeah. It's pretty inspirational, too," she added. "This is what we get to build here. It's what we do."

Horowitz said the test brought back "a lot of great memories of flying on the space shuttle. Any time we light a rocket motor it's just truly exciting."

The firing looked perfectly nominal, he said.

"Looked great!" said Sturckow, giving a thumbs-up gesture.

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