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Inside Shuttle Discovery, a Reporter's-Eye View
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The space shuttle Discovery is more complex, cramped, and altogether more awesome from the inside than I ever imagined. And in 2011, NASA retired the orbiter – the oldest flying shuttle – to begin preparing it for display in a museum.
I was lucky enough to crawl around the interior of the storied spaceship at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery has already flown its last flight, so technicians are preparing the spaceship for retirement at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center outside Washington, D.C.
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Safety Booties
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
Before reporters could enter Discovery, we had to don canvas booties to prevent tracking dust or debris in with us. Even on spaceships, you have to wipe your feet before entering.
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Tunnel of Fame
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
This tunnel leads inside Discovery, which you enter through a hatch on the left side. It's a tradition for everyone who passes through to sign the antechamber wall — including reporters! What an amazing feeling to join the select few who've been inside a vehicle that's flown to space.
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My Autograph
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
My name joins the wall of the space shuttle Discovery's white room antechamber. This chance to go inside a real orbiter is the opportunity of a lifetime.
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Shuttle Discovery's Flight Deck
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
Inside Discovery's cockpit, the commander's seat is on the left and the pilot's is on the right. This compartment is called the flight deck, and during launch, up to two mission specialists may also sit in here. There's another deck, called the middeck, directly below this one and that's where the entry hatch is.
The flight deck is fairly cramped, smaller than I'd imagined, but every inch of space seems to be utilized.
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Pilot's Seat
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
On the right side of the flight deck is the pilot's seat. Instrumentation surrounds the astronauts on all sides, and includes more panels, buttons and switches than you'd think a person could keep track of.
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View From the Flight Deck
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
From the back of Discovery's flight deck, windows look out over the shuttle's payload bay. What a view, and we're not even in space.
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Docking Hatch
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The circular hatch to Discovery's payload bay typically leads to the shuttle's docking port. From here astronauts can crawl through into the International Space Station. How different this must all feel in weightlessness!
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Close Quarters
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
From Discovery's flight deck, I crawled down through this small opening to reach the middeck, the largest of the space shuttle's crew compartments. It's where the airlock and docking port are, not to mention the kitchen and bathroom.
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Wires, Wires Everywhere
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
Inside the middeck of Discovery, wiring for the orbiter's various electronic systems is visible behind the ladder leading back up to the flight deck.
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Tunnel to Outside
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
This tunnel leads to Discovery's airlock, where astronauts can exit into the payload bay. There is also a hatch that allows astronauts to crawl through into the International Space Station when the two vehicles are docked. The blue squares are Velcro, which is placed liberally around the shuttle's interior to allow astronauts to secure weightless items.
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Cargo Bay
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The view of shuttle Discovery's payload bay from inside the orbiter, with the iconic American flag at the rear. The huge cargo area is 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide and 60 feet (18 m) long.
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Front Door
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
When Discovery was docked at the International Space Station, this hatch opened up into the station to allow astronauts to transfer through.
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Canadarm
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
On the left side of Discovery's cargo bay, the shuttle's Canadarm rests. The robotic arm, officially called the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), is 50 feet (15 m) long and has six joints that allow the arm to move in multiple directions.
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Clara on the Middeck
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
Here I am inside shuttle Discovery's middeck, with the tunnel behind me leading to the docking hatch and payload bay.
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Discovery's Nose
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The nose of space shuttle Discovery looks exposed with its Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) removed. This engine, in conjunction with the Orbital Maneuvering Systems thrusters at the shuttle's rear, is used to move the orbiter once it's already in space. Because it's considered hazardous, the thrusters have been removed and will be replaced with a dummy unit before the shuttle goes on public display.
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Shuttle Up Close
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
I was in a state of continual amazement to be so close to the space shuttle. This view shows part of the name "Discovery" printed on the right side of the orbiter.
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Discovery's Side
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
A bit farther back on Discovery's right side are the NASA "meatball" logo, the American flag, and the words "United States."
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Wheels Down
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
Discovery's huge Michelin tires are almost as tall as me! Above my head are the orbiter's sensitive thermal protection tiles, which shield Discovery from the heat of re-entry through Earth's atmosphere.
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Discovery's Underbelly
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The view from Discovery's underbelly shows the sensitive heat shield tiles that protect the orbiter from the fiery temperatures of re-entry.
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Clara in the Cockpit
Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com
The feeling of being inside such an extraordinary vehicle is incredible. I tried to comprehend just how far it had traveled (148 million miles, actually), how much it had accomplished (39 missions), and the many brave men and women who've sat in these seats.
