Discovery, the longest-serving orbiter in the space shuttle fleet, departed Kennedy Space Center in Florida around dawn today, and is expected to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport about 11 a.m. EDT. After a two-day layover at the airport, where it will be de-mated from the 747 carrier aircraft it was transported on, the historic spacecraft will be towed to its nearby new home, the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. On Thursday, April 19, NASA and Smithsonian officials will sign documents officially transferring Discovery to the museum at an outdoor, public ceremony at the center.
Discovery was the first of three orbiters retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet. Its final mission, STS-133, launched Feb. 24, 2011, and landed March 9. It completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times and traveled 148,221,675 miles. A number of its missions were associated with technological and scientific achievements, including placement of the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit in 1990. Discovery is known for several historic achievements. The first African American commander, Frederick Gregory, flew the craft in 1989. In 1995, the orbiter was flown by the first female pilot of a spacecraft, Eileen Collins, who later commanded a 2005 Discovery mission. In 1998 Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, flew on the spacecraft in a return to space, having made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth in Friendship 7. Following the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, Discovery was chosen to re-initiate spaceflight.
To mark Discovery’s arrival, the museum and NASA are promoting “Spot the Shuttle,” a community-awareness campaign encouraging people to gather at publicly accessible locations near landmarks the orbiter is expected to pass.
“Discovery will fly one last time today, and then be placed at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center, where it will inspire gen ...More...
- 2012_DC_Shuttle_Flyby_120417: DC -- Space Shuttle Discovery Fly-By (36 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_WD_Misc_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Miscellaneous shots (94 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_ShuttleI_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Shuttle hangar (26 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_Shuttle_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Shuttle itself (25 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_ShuttleM_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Shuttle meeting up (19 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_ShuttleP_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Shuttle moves to hangar (71 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_WD_TC_C_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Transfer Ceremony -- Event (119 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_WD_TC_Pos_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Transfer Ceremony -- Post-event (45 photos from 2012)
- 2012_VA_SIAIRVA_WD_TC_Pre_120419: Udvar-Hazy Center -- Event: Welcome Discovery Festival -- Transfer Ceremony -- Pre-event (74 photos from 2012)
underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.
") are described as follows: