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CHARLOTTE – The historic final shuttle landing Thursday morning will hold special significance for a Charlottean.

Desiree Kane saw the Atlantis takeoff in Florida earlier this month. It's an experience she said was on her bucket list. Kane was one of just 150 social media members allowed to witness the launch three miles away. That's six miles closer than the general public is allowed.

She admitted the sound of takeoff was life changing.

"It truly just rattles your bones,” said Kane. “The ground beneath you is shaking. Everyone is hollering because they are so excited.”

Since 1981, the space shuttle crews taken 355 astronauts into space. In the future, NASA will rely on the Russian Space Agency to carry U.S. astronauts into orbit.