1 of 31
Space Shuttle Discovery's Legacy: 27 Years of the Right Stuff
Credit: NASA
This illustration depicts NASA's space shuttle Discovery encircled by the mission patches from each of its 39 missions, from STS-41D to STS-133, to display its long legacy as NASA's most-flown orbiter. The shuttle is flying its 39th and last flight in February/March 2011.
2 of 31
A Space Plane Is Born
Credit: Boeing
The most prolific space shuttle in NASA’s fleet is Discovery, which will fly its last mission in February/March 2011. But NASA had to build Discovery before it could fly its 39 space missions and here is how it was done. In this view, Rockwell engineers check the fit between Discovery’s upper and lower forward cabin sections on Feb. 26, 1982.
3 of 31
I Just Flew in from the Coast
Credit: NASA
NASA's newest space shuttle, Discovery, makes a triumphant fly-by of the Florida Space Coast and the Kennedy Space Center runway before landing at 1:46 p.m. Discovery is shown riding into town secured to the back of a specially modified 747 aircraft known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The orbiter was arriving from the Palmdale, Calif. assembly plant where it was built. This image was taken on Oct. 9, 1983.
4 of 31
Feels Like the First Time
Credit: NASA
Space Shuttle Discovery soars away from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, beginning its maiden voyage and a storied spaceflight career that spanned more than 26 years. The on-time liftoff occurred at 8:42 A.M. EDT. This image was taken on Aug. 30, 1984.
5 of 31
Discovery's First Crew
Credit: NASA
Discovery's first crew, the astronauts of STS 41-D, pose in the middeck for an onboard crew portrait during the shuttle's first flight in 1984.
6 of 31
Givin' You the (Fish-) Eye
Credit: NASA
In this photo taken with a fisheye lens, shuttle Discovery roars away from Launch Pad 39B at 7:45 a.m. EDT as the STS-51 mission begins. The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite and attached Transfer Orbit Stage booster were deployed during the flight, along with a second primary payload, the Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph-Shuttle Pallet Satellite. This image was taken Sept. 12, 1993.
7 of 31
A Different Point of View
Credit: NASA
Carried by its mobile launcher platform, shuttle Discovery slowly moves through the high bay doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building on the way to Launch Pad 39A before the STS-82 mission. A seven-member crew performed the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope during the flight. This image was taken Jan. 17, 1997.
8 of 31
The Day Breaks
Credit: NASA
Sunrise paints a stunning backdrop for space shuttle Discovery as it touches down on Runway 33 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:07:59 a.m. EDT to complete the 11-day, 20-hour and 27-minute-long STS-85 mission. This was the 39th landing at Kennedy in the history of the space shuttle program and the 11th touchdown for Discovery at its home center. This image was taken Aug. 19, 1997.
9 of 31
Sit Down
Credit: NASA
This fish-eye view shows off Discovery's cockpit as it was configured for the STS-95 mission. Commander Curtis Brown's seat is on the left, while Pilot Steve Lindsey's seat is beside it on the right. This image was taken Oct. 13, 1998.
10 of 31
In the White Room with John Glenn
Credit: NASA
In the launch pad's White Room, STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., U.S. Senator from Ohio, has his flight suit checked by closeout crew members before climbing into space shuttle Discovery for his second flight into space, which came 36 years after his Mercury launch. Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. The image was taken Oct. 29, 1998.
11 of 31
Reflections
Credit: NASA
Reflected in the turn basin at the Launch Complex 39 area, shuttle Discovery and its mobile launcher platform stand atop the crawler-transporter, which carries its cargo at 1 mile an hour to Launch Pad 39B. The vehicle takes several hours to cover the journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. Discovery was rolling to the pad prior to its STS-96 mission, a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station. This image was taken April 23, 1999.
12 of 31
Dark Shape
Credit: NASA
With its drag chute fully deployed, space shuttle Discovery lands on Kennedy's brightly lighted Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15, completing the 9-day, 19-hour, 13-minute and 1-second STS-96 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 2:02:43 a.m. EDT June 6, landing on orbit 154. This was the 94th flight in the space shuttle program and the 26th for Discovery. This image was taken June 6, 1999.
13 of 31
In Arm's Way
Credit: Scott Andrews
This closeup taken from the 195-foot level at Launch Pad 39A shows the orbiter access arm as it extends toward the side of Discovery. At the end is the environmentally controlled White Room, which provides entry into the orbiter. Discovery is scheduled to launch in early August on mission STS-105. Photo by Scott Andrews using a Nikon D1X camera. This image was taken July 2, 2001.
14 of 31
Pimp My Ride
Credit: NASA
Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility watch closely as Discovery's Forward Reaction Control System is lowered into position in the orbiter's forward fuselage nose area. The system provides the thrust for pitch, yaw and roll, and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis. Discovery was being prepped as the return to flight vehicle for mission STS-114. This image was taken June 22, 2004.
15 of 31
Spy in the Sky
Credit: NASA
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao used a digital camera to photograph the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from an altitude of 220 statute miles. Chiao captured the rollout at 4:35 p.m. EDT as the station flew directly over the launch site. Visible in the image are the Shuttle’s two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. Discovery’s launch pad, 39-B, is on the left. This image was taken Apr. 6, 2005.
16 of 31
Greeting from Far Away
Credit: Bill McQuade
Members of the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division Governorate Support Team stationed in Baghdad, Iraq, are shown holding the "Go Discovery" banner they signed to show their support for NASA's Return to Flight. The banner was displayed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where Lt. Col. William McQuade (top row, second from left) works as an engineer. As an Army Reservist, he was deployed to Iraq where he served with the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General Corps. This image was taken May 25, 2005.
17 of 31
Take Me with You
Credit: NASA
Discovery sits on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, as it is towed into the mate/demate device at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Discovery was returned to Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it landed after 13 days in space on mission STS-114. This image was taken Aug. 21, 2005.
18 of 31
In the Evening
Credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley
Amid the lights from the fixed and rotating service structures, space shuttle Discovery rests on the hardstand of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing the 4.2-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The rollout was in preparation for its launch on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. This image was taken May 19, 2006.
19 of 31
Right in Front Behind You
Credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser
The vehicle processing team says a final goodbye and gathers for a photo in front of space shuttle Discovery after its exit from the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 in preparation for launch to the International Space Station for mission STS-120. This image was taken Sept. 23, 2007.
20 of 31
Discovery in the Sky with Diamonds
Credit: NASA/Tom Farrar, Scott Haun, Raphael Hernandez
Space shuttle Discovery roars between the clouds into the blue Florida sky toward space on mission STS-120 to the International Space Station. Below the three main engines are the blue cones of light, known as shock or mach diamonds. They are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. This image was taken Oct. 23, 2007.
21 of 31
Moonwatcher
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Under a full moon on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is revealed after the rotating service structure has been rolled back in preparation to launch on mission STS-119 to the International Space Station. This image was taken March 11, 2009.
22 of 31
Lightning Strikes
Credit: Justin Dernier, EPA
Rollout of space shuttle Discovery is slow-going due to the onset of lightning in the area of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout was in preparation for launch on the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. This image taken Aug. 4, 2009.
23 of 31
Summertime, and the Crawlin' Is Difficult
Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Space shuttle Discovery is silhouetted against the dawn sky as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before launch on mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. After a two-hour delay due to lightning in the area, technicians stopped several times during the rollout to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. This image was taken Aug. 4, 2009.
24 of 31
Roll to Me
Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery pauses in between Orbiter Processing Facility-3 and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) during a move called "rollover." Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. This image was taken Sept. 9, 2010.
25 of 31
STS-133 Crew Arrives
Space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 20, 2011. From left: Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt, Steve Bowen, Al Drew, Eric Boe and Steven Lindsey.
26 of 31
Stand Back!
Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar
Space shuttle Discovery ignites for liftoff on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida beginning its final flight, the STS-133 mission, to the International Space Station, on Feb. 24, 2011.
27 of 31
The Long Launch View
Credit: NASA/Jeff Marino
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off Launch Pad 39A atop twin columns of fire, creating rolling clouds of smoke and steam in its track. Launch of the STS-133 mission was at 4:53 p.m. EST on Feb. 24, 2011 as seen from the roof of NASA's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building.
28 of 31
The Last Days of Disco(very)
Credit: NASA
Friday, February 25, 2011: Space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a warm afternoon, at 4:53 p.m. EST on Feb. 24. This flight, the STS-133 mission, marks Discovery's final flight. The six-member crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module and Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station.
--Tom Chao
29 of 31
Hello, Discovery!
Credit: ESA/NASA
Space shuttle Discovery is seen pulling up to the International Space Station on Feb. 26, 2010 during docking day for its final space mission STS-133. Italian astroanut Paolo Nespoli took this photo from inside the station. A Russian spacecraft is visible at top.
30 of 31
Space Shuttle Discovery Landing
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Space shuttle Discovery lands at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete its 39th and final flight.
31 of 31
Home at Last
Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Space shuttle Discovery's 39th and final flight concluded on March 9, 2011. Here, the "towback" vehicle pulls the spacecraft into Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a well-deserved rest. NASA will now prepare Discovery for future public display.
