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NASA Rockwell Space Shuttle OV-103 "Discovery"
The Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) was one of only five fully functioning orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program to be built. Construction began on Discovery in January 1979 and was delivered to NASA in November 1983. Her first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30th to September 5th, 1984. Over her 27-year-long career with NASA, she would launch and land 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft in history. Like the other shuttles, it had three main components: the orbiter, a central fuel tank, and two rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat-resistant tiles cover the spacecraft for protection from incredibly high temperatures upon re-entering into Earth’s atmosphere.
Discovery would become the third operational orbiter to enter service with NASA, preceded by Columbia and Challenger, respectively. She embarked on her final mission, STS-133, on February 24th, 2011, and touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9th, 2011. Discovery performed research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions and carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.
The name Discovery was chosen to carry on a tradition based on ships of exploration, primarily HMS Discovery, one of the ships commanded by Captain James Cook during his third and final major voyage from 1776-1779, and Henry Hudson's Discovery, which was used from 1610–1611 to explore the Hudson Bay and search for the Northwest Passage. Other ships bearing the name have included HMS Discovery of the 1875–1876 British Arctic Expedition to the North Pole and the RRS Discovery, which led the 1901–1904 "Discovery Expedition" to Antarctica. Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope and conducted the 2nd and 3rd Hubble service missions. It also launched the Ulysses probe and 3 TDRS satellites.
Discovery was chosen twice as the "Return To Flight" Orbiter, first in 1988 after the loss of Shuttle Challenger in 1986, and then again for the twin "Return To Flight" missions in July 2005 and 2006 after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, 77 years old at the time, flew with Discovery on STS-95 in 1998, making him the oldest person in American history to fly into outer space.
NASA had plans to launch United States Department of Defense payloads from Vandenberg Air Force Base. If everything had been planned accordingly, Discovery would have become the dedicated U.S. Air Force shuttle. Her first West Coast mission, STS-62-A, was scheduled for 1986, but these plans were quickly canceled after the Challenger disaster.
By the time the Discovery was retired after completing her final mission, she had flown upwards of 149 million miles on 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, and spent 365 days in orbit over 27 years. Discovery had flown more flights than all other orbiters combined, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery would fly all three "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters: STS-41 (1988), STS-114 (2005), and STS-121 (2006). Discovery also flew the Space Shuttle program's ante-penultimate mission, launching on February 24, 2011. Endeavour flew STS-134, and Atlantis performed STS-135, NASA's final Space Shuttle mission. On February 24th, 2011, Discovery was launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A to begin its last orbital flight.
NASA Rockwell Space Shuttle OV-103 "Discovery"
The Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) was one of only five fully functioning orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program to be built. Construction began on Discovery in January 1979 and was delivered to NASA in November 1983. Her first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30th to September 5th, 1984. Over her 27-year-long career with NASA, she would launch and land 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft in history. Like the other shuttles, it had three main components: the orbiter, a central fuel tank, and two rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat-resistant tiles cover the spacecraft for protection from incredibly high temperatures upon re-entering into Earth’s atmosphere.
Discovery would become the third operational orbiter to enter service with NASA, preceded by Columbia and Challenger, respectively. She embarked on her final mission, STS-133, on February 24th, 2011, and touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9th, 2011. Discovery performed research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions and carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.
The name Discovery was chosen to carry on a tradition based on ships of exploration, primarily HMS Discovery, one of the ships commanded by Captain James Cook during his third and final major voyage from 1776-1779, and Henry Hudson's Discovery, which was used from 1610–1611 to explore the Hudson Bay and search for the Northwest Passage. Other ships bearing the name have included HMS Discovery of the 1875–1876 British Arctic Expedition to the North Pole and the RRS Discovery, which led the 1901–1904 "Discovery Expedition" to Antarctica. Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope and conducted the 2nd and 3rd Hubble service missions. It also launched the Ulysses probe and 3 TDRS satellites.
Discovery was chosen twice as the "Return To Flight" Orbiter, first in 1988 after the loss of Shuttle Challenger in 1986, and then again for the twin "Return To Flight" missions in July 2005 and 2006 after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, 77 years old at the time, flew with Discovery on STS-95 in 1998, making him the oldest person in American history to fly into outer space.
NASA had plans to launch United States Department of Defense payloads from Vandenberg Air Force Base. If everything had been planned accordingly, Discovery would have become the dedicated U.S. Air Force shuttle. Her first West Coast mission, STS-62-A, was scheduled for 1986, but these plans were quickly canceled after the Challenger disaster.
By the time the Discovery was retired after completing her final mission, she had flown upwards of 149 million miles on 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, and spent 365 days in orbit over 27 years. Discovery had flown more flights than all other orbiters combined, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery would fly all three "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters: STS-41 (1988), STS-114 (2005), and STS-121 (2006). Discovery also flew the Space Shuttle program's ante-penultimate mission, launching on February 24, 2011. Endeavour flew STS-134, and Atlantis performed STS-135, NASA's final Space Shuttle mission. On February 24th, 2011, Discovery was launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A to begin its last orbital flight.