The frigid snow-covered ground of northern Utah shook for two minutes Thursday, a reminder of the area's lasting legacy in developing the powerful solid rockets that have launched space shuttles skyward for three decades.

Alliant Techsystems conducted its final ground firing of a space shuttle solid rocket booster, a bittersweet event that capped 33 years of testing for the powerful and reusable motors.

Here's a gallery of images taken throughout the day by Spaceflight Now's Justin Ray, including an up-close tour prior to the test, watching the booster fire from a viewing site 1.6 miles away and checking out the motor afterwards.

Members of the media visit the booster.   A "before ignition" shot of the hillside.   This facility is where the media worked to file their stories.   Spaceflight Now photographer Ben Cooper at work.   Visiting the booster a couple hours after the firing.   A view of the extinguisher arm that cooled the nozzle after the test.   An "after the test" shot of the hillside blasted by the booster exhaust.   Leaving ATK after witnessing the historic event. Photo credits: Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now