With Atlantis set to lift off for the space shuttle’s very last flight, NASA faces the harsh reality of layoffs and questions about America’s commitment to leadership in space.

A symbol of progress and achievement, cartoonists have covered the space shuttle program for the last 30 years. Join us as we take a look back at the space shuttle program through the eyes of the nation’s best political cartoonists.

Daryl Cagle / msnbc.com

David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star

Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News

Click here to view more cartoons about the Space Shuttle program.

Over a million people are expected to watch the space shuttle Atlantis launch on Friday, the final mission of NASA’s 30-year space shuttle program. Everyone wonders what will come next, even as lawmakers voted today to kill off funding for the successor to the vastly successful Hubble telescope.

What do cartoonists think about the end of the Space Shuttle program? Check out our Final Space Shuttle Mission cartoon slideshow to see for yourself.

Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view slideshow)