Discovery OV-103
Space Shuttle Discovery launches from NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-124.
OV designation	OV-103
Country	United States Of America
Contract award	January 29, 1979
Named after	Discovery (1602), HMS Discovery (1774), HMS Discovery (1874), RRS Discovery (1901)
Status	Retired, on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia[1]
First flight	STS-41-D August 30, 1984 (1984-08-30) – September 5, 1984
Last flight	Ferry flight on SCA NASA905 to Washington DC April 17, 2012
Number of missions	39
Crew members	252[2]
Time spent in space	365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes, 33 seconds
Distance travelled	148,221,675 mi (238,539,663 km)[3]
Satellites deployed	31 (including Hubble Space Telescope)
Mir dockings	1[3]
ISS dockings	13[3]

Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States,^[4] and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011. Discovery has flown more than any other spacecraft having completed 39 successful missions in over 27 years of service.^[5]

In 1984, Discovery became the third operational orbiter following Columbia and Challenger,^[6] and made its final touchdown at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, 2011 at 10:57:17 CST,^[7] having spent a cumulative total of almost a full year in space. Discovery has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions. Discovery also flew the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour and then Atlantis.

History [edit]

Discovery rollout ceremony in October 1983

The spacecraft takes its name from four British ships of exploration named Discovery, primarily HMS Discovery, one of the ships commanded by Captain James Cook during his third and final major voyage from 1776 to 1779.

Others include

• Henry Hudson's Discovery, which he used in 1610–1611 to search for a Northwest Passage. This ship had previously been used in the 1607 founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in what was to become the United States;
• HMS Discovery, one of the ships which took Captain George Nares' British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876 to the North Pole; and
• RRS Discovery, a Royal Geographical Society research vessel which, under the command of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton, was the main ship of the 1901–1904 "Discovery Expedition" to Antarctica^[8] which is still preserved as a museum in Dundee, Scotland.

Discovery was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope. The second and third Hubble service missions were also conducted by Discovery. It has also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites. Discovery had been twice chosen as the "Return To Flight" Orbiter, first in 1988 after the 1986 Challenger disaster, and then for the twin "Return To Flight" missions in July 2005 and July 2006 after the 2003 Columbia disaster. Discovery also carried Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 at the time, back into space during STS-95 on October 29, 1998, making him the oldest person to go into space.^[9]

Had the planned STS-62-A mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1986 for the United States Department of Defense gone ahead, Discovery would have flown it. Its final mission, STS-133, landed on March 9, 2011, in Kennedy Space Center, Florida. After decommissioning and delivery, the spacecraft is displayed in Virginia at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.^[1]

Construction milestones [edit]

Upgrades and features [edit]

Discovery rocketing into space, just after booster separation.

Discovery weighed some 6,870 pounds (3,120 kg) less than Columbia when it was brought into service due to optimizations determined during the construction and testing of Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger.^[9]

Upon its delivery to the Kennedy Space Center in 1983, Discovery was promptly modified alongside Challenger to accommodate the liquid-fueled Centaur-G booster, which had been planned for use beginning in 1986 but was cancelled in the wake of the Challenger disaster.^[11]

Beginning in late 1995, the orbiter underwent a nine-month Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP) in Palmdale, California. This included outfitting the vehicle with a 5th set of cryogenic tanks and an external airlock to support missions to the International Space Station. It can be attached to the top of specialized aircraft and did so in June 1996 when it returned to the Kennedy Space Center, and later in April 2012 when sent to the Udvar-Hazy Center, riding piggy-back on a modified Boeing 747.^[9]

After STS-105, Discovery became the first of the orbiter fleet to undergo Orbiter Major Modification (OMM) period at the Kennedy Space Center. Work began in September 2002 to prepare the vehicle for Return to Flight. This included scheduled upgrades and additional safety modifications.^[9] Discovery is 6 pounds (2.7 kg) heavier than Atlantis and 363 pounds (165 kg) heavier than Endeavour.^[2]

Decommissioning and display [edit]

Discovery riding piggy-back on SCA N905NA on the last flyover of the National Mall at around 10:15 am EDT, during its 11:05 am landing at Dulles airport on April 17, 2012, and on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.^[12]

Discovery was decommissioned on March 9, 2011.^[13][14]

Enterprise and Discovery exchanged at the Udvar-Hazy center of the National Air and Space Museum

NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process,^[15] as part of the national collection.^[16][17][18] Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.^[19][20][21] Discovery was transported to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17, 2012, and was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy on April 19 where a formal welcome ceremony was held. Afterwards, at around 5: 30 pm, Discovery was rolled to its "final wheels stop" in the Udvar Hazy Center. To this day, she's being displayed like she just landed from space.^[22][23]

Flights [edit]

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) deployed

By its last mission, Discovery had flown 149 million miles (238 million km) in 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, and spent 365 days in orbit in over 27 years.^[24] Discovery is the Orbiter Fleet leader, having flown more flights than any other Orbiter Shuttle in the fleet, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery flew all three "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters: STS-26 in 1988, STS-114 in 2005, and STS-121 in 2006. Discovery flew the ante-penultimate mission of the Space Shuttle program, STS-133, having launched on (NET) February 24, 2011. Endeavour flew STS-134 and Atlantis performed STS-135, NASA's last Space Shuttle mission. On February 24, 2011, Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A to begin its final orbital flight.^[25]

Notable missions:

• STS-41-D: Space Shuttle Discovery's maiden spaceflight with the second American woman in space, Judith Resnik
• STS-51-D: Carried first incumbent United States member of Congress into space, Senator Jake Garn (R–Utah)
• STS-26: First "Return to Flight" after Challenger disaster (STS-51-L)
• STS-31: Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope
• STS-48: Launch of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
• STS-60: First Russian launched in an American spacecraft (Sergei Krikalev)
• STS-63: First female shuttle pilot Eileen Collins.^[2]
• STS-95: Second flight of John Glenn, who was 77 years of age at that time, the oldest man in space and third incumbent member of Congress to enter space
• STS-96: First Orbiter Shuttle and first mission flight to dock with the International Space Station^[2]
• STS-92: The 100th Space Shuttle mission
• STS-114: Second "Return to Flight" missions after Columbia disaster (STS-107)
• STS-116: First night time launch of a Space Shuttle since the Columbia disaster. Last Shuttle launch from LC-39B
• STS-131: Longest mission for this Orbiter with 15 days to its credit
• STS-133: Final mission for this Space Shuttle

Flights listing [edit]

‡ Longest shuttle mission for Discovery
– shortest shuttle mission for Discovery

Mission and tribute insignias [edit]

NASA Orbiter Tribute for Space Shuttle Discovery

Mission insignias for Discovery flights
STS-41-D	STS-51-A	STS-51-C	STS-51-D	STS-51-G	STS-51-I	STS 26	STS 29
STS 33	STS 31	STS 41	STS 39	STS 48	STS 42	STS 53	STS 56
STS 51	STS 60	STS 64	STS 63	STS 70	STS 82	STS 85	STS 91
STS 95	STS 96	STS 103	STS 92	STS 102	STS 105	STS 114	STS 121
STS 116	STS 120	STS 124	STS 119	STS 128	STS 131	STS 133

Gallery [edit]

The launch of STS-41-D, Discovery’s first mission.	STS-121 launched on Independence Day, the first and the only shuttle to launch on July 4.	STS-119 on the morning of March 11, 2009.	Discovery sits atop a modified Boeing 747 as it touches down.	Discovery lands after her first flight, STS-41-D.
Discovery performing the Rendezvous pitch maneuver prior to docking with the International Space Station.	The Space Shuttle Discovery soon after landing	Modified Boeing 747 carrying Discovery.	STS-124 comes to a close as Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center.	Discovery's final touchdown on Kennedy Space Center's runway, concluding the STS-133 mission and Discovery's career as an operating Orbiter Shuttle.

See also [edit]

	Spaceflight portal
	Solar System portal

• List of human spaceflights
• List of human spaceflights chronologically
• List of Space Shuttle crews
• List of space shuttle missions
• Timeline of Space Shuttle missions

References [edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Space Shuttle Discovery

• Mission Summary Archive
• Part 1: Discovery space shuttle up close and personal tour at KSC
• Part 2: Discovery space shuttle up close and personal tour at KSC
• Part 3: Discovery space shuttle up close and personal tour at KSC
• STS-133 Space Shuttle Discovery Is Towed Back To the Hangar After Landing
• STS-133 Landing – Space Shuttle Discovery Completes Final Mission To Space
• STS-133 space shuttle Discovery launches for the final time
• Return to Flight mission STS-114 and STS-121
• Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (OV-103)
• Night Launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery
• Discovery on Servicing Mission 2 at ESA/Hubble site
• Discovery on Servicing Mission 3A at ESA/Hubble site
• Pictures of preparations for a launch of Discovery
• A Space Shuttle's Final Rollout – slideshow by Life magazine
• April 16, 2007: Consolidated Launch Manifest: Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence.
• Discovery in orbit with open Payload Bay Doors and MPLM module photographed by Ralf Vandebergh using a telescope mounted camera.
• Transition & Retirement: Hi-res spherical panoramas of the processing

v t e Space Shuttles United States Space Shuttle program (list) Soviet Buran programme Pathfinder (OV-098, ground tests) Enterprise (OV-101, atmospheric tests, retired) Columbia (OV-102, destroyed 2003) Challenger (OV-099, destroyed 1986) Discovery (OV-103, retired 2011) Atlantis (OV-104, retired 2011) Endeavour (OV-105, retired 2011) OK-GLI (Buran Analog BST-02, aerotester) Buran (Shuttle 1.01, destroyed 2002) Ptichka (Shuttle 1.02, 95–97% completed) Baikal (Shuttle 2.01, incomplete) 2.02 (partially dismantled) 2.03 (dismantled)