The space shuttle Discovery is all set for its final take-off. Strapped to a jumbo jet, NASA's oldest and most-traveled space shuttle will take off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center and land at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's in Virginia.
Depending on the weather conditions, the shuttle will fly south down the Cape Canaveral beach to facilitate public view before turning north, Associated Press reported.
After a three-decade long service, Discovery now will spend its future as a museum piece and it is the first space shuttle placed in a museum. Of the other two retired space shuttles, the Endeavour will head to Los Angeles, while the Atlantis will remain at the Kennedy space center, AP reported.
After its 39th and last mission in March 2011, the spaceship was prepared for public display at NASA's Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The key components were removed from the space shuttle for future reuse. Many other changes and alterations were also carried out to make it safe for public display.
Here is a glimpse in pictures of Discovery's life and final journey preparations.
The space shuttle Discovery, atop a mobile launch platform, moves through the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building toward Launch Pad 39A just before sunrise on a balmy Florida morning.NASA/George SheltonA nearly full Moon sets as the space shuttle Discovery sits atop Launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 11, 2009.NASA/Bill IngallsA specialized transporter brought the payload canister to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-131 mission. The canister, which is the same dimensions as the shuttle's cargo bay, held the Leonardo supply module during the move from processing to the shuttle. Leonardo will be packed inside space shuttle Discovery for launch. In this image, the payload canister holding the Leonardo supply module is hoisted to the clean room at Launch pad 39A.NASA/Amanda DillerAt NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is attached to Launch Pad 39A, completing "rollout" from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A.It took the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, about six hours to complete the move atop a crawler-transporter.On its final mission, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station.NASA/Jack PfallerThis image of space shuttle Discovery was taken as the craft began its nighttime trek, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A.It took the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, about six hours to complete the move atop a crawler-transporter. On STS-133, its final planned mission, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 to the International Space Station.NASA/Tony GrayThis view of the nose, the forward underside and crew cabin of the space shuttle Discovery was provided by an Expedition 26 crew member during a survey of the approaching STS-133 vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station. As part of the survey and part of every mission's activities, Discovery performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM). The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 400mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet.NASAThe Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51) lifts off from Kennedy Space CenterREUTERS/NASA NASA
