Space Shuttle Discovery...the end of an era.
I was fortunate enough several years ago to get a chance to see the space shuttle Discovery traveling overhead shortly after it’s separation from the International Space Station, and trailing behind it some 40 miles. This is the image of it with the constellation Orion as the backdrop. The upcoming launch of Discovery at 4:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24th is slated to be Discovery's last flight into space. The spacecraft has gone into orbit 38 times before. Discovery launched its first mission Aug. 30, 1984.
Some historical achievements include being flown to space more than any other craft, and it has carried more crew members to orbit (246). Those have included the first female to ever pilot a spacecraft, the oldest person to fly in space, the first African-American to perform a spacewalk, the first cosmonaut to fly on an American spacecraft. It was the first spacecraft to retrieve a satellite and bring it back to Earth. It has visited two space stations. It launched a telescope that has seen deeper in space and in time than ever before. In 38 trips to space, Discovery has spent 352 days in orbit, almost a full year. Discovery has circled Earth 5,628 times, all the while speeding along at 17,400 miles per hour. It has traveled almost 143 million miles. That equals 288 round trips to the moon or about one and a half trips to the sun.
If you have an interest in such things, more can be found at www.nasa.gov/.
Space Shuttle Discovery...the end of an era.
I was fortunate enough several years ago to get a chance to see the space shuttle Discovery traveling overhead shortly after it’s separation from the International Space Station, and trailing behind it some 40 miles. This is the image of it with the constellation Orion as the backdrop. The upcoming launch of Discovery at 4:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24th is slated to be Discovery's last flight into space. The spacecraft has gone into orbit 38 times before. Discovery launched its first mission Aug. 30, 1984.
Some historical achievements include being flown to space more than any other craft, and it has carried more crew members to orbit (246). Those have included the first female to ever pilot a spacecraft, the oldest person to fly in space, the first African-American to perform a spacewalk, the first cosmonaut to fly on an American spacecraft. It was the first spacecraft to retrieve a satellite and bring it back to Earth. It has visited two space stations. It launched a telescope that has seen deeper in space and in time than ever before. In 38 trips to space, Discovery has spent 352 days in orbit, almost a full year. Discovery has circled Earth 5,628 times, all the while speeding along at 17,400 miles per hour. It has traveled almost 143 million miles. That equals 288 round trips to the moon or about one and a half trips to the sun.
If you have an interest in such things, more can be found at www.nasa.gov/.