Space Shuttle Discovery

thumb|Space Shuttle Discovery at the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]

thumb|Discovery rollout ceremony in October 1983

thumb|Discovery and SCA 905 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, November 6, 1983

Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft . The Space Shuttle launch vehicle had three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter, a single-use central fuel tank, and two reusable solid rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat-resistant tiles cover the orbiter to protect it from high temperatures on re-entry.

Discovery became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by Columbia and Challenger. After the Challenger and Columbia accidents, Discovery became the oldest surviving orbiter. It embarked on its final mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011, and touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, having spent a cumulative total of nearly a full year in space. Discovery performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions, and also carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit among other satellites.

Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour and then Atlantis. The shuttle is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

History

The name Discovery was chosen to carry on a tradition based on ships of exploration, one of the ships commanded by Captain James Cook during his third and final major voyage from 1776 to 1779, and Henry Hudson's , of the 1875–1876 British Arctic Expedition to the North Pole, and , which carried the 1901–1904 Discovery Expedition to Antarctica, led by Captain Scott. Its first West Coast mission, STS-62-A, was scheduled for 1986, but canceled in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster.

On May 27, 1999, Discovery was launched on STS-96, the first shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station.

Discovery was retired after completing its final mission, STS-133 on March 9, 2011. The spacecraft is now on display in Virginia at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.

Construction milestones

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"

! Date

! Milestone

| 1979 January 29

| Contract Award to Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California

| 1979 August 27

| Start long lead fabrication of Crew Module

| 1980 June 20

| Start fabrication lower fuselage

| 1980 November 10

| Start structural assembly of aft-fuselage

| 1980 December 8

| Start initial system installation aft fuselage

| 1981 March 2

| Start fabrication/assembly of payload bay doors

| 1981 October 26

| Start initial system installation, crew module, Downey

| 1982 January 4

| Start initial system installation upper forward fuselage

| 1982 March 16

| Midfuselage on dock, Palmdale, California

| 1982 March 30

| Elevons on dock, Palmdale

| 1982 April 30

| Wings arrive at Palmdale from Grumman

| 1982 April 30

| Lower forward fuselage on dock, Palmdale

| 1982 July 16

| Upper forward fuselage on dock, Palmdale

| 1982 August 5

| Vertical stabilizer on dock, Palmdale

| 1982 September 3

| Start of Final Assembly

| 1982 October 15

| Body flap on dock, Palmdale

| 1983 January 11

| Aft fuselage on dock, Palmdale

| 1983 February 25

| Complete final assembly and closeout installation, Palmdale

| 1983 February 28

| Start initial subsystems test, power-on, Palmdale

| 1983 May 13

| Complete initial subsystems testing

| 1983 July 26

| Complete subsystems testing

| 1983 August 12

| Completed Final Acceptance

| 1983 October 16

| Rollout from Palmdale

| 1983 November 5

| Overland transport from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base

| 1983 November 9

| Delivery to Kennedy Space Center

| 1984 June 2

| Flight Readiness Firing

| 1984 August 30

| First Flight (STS-41-D)

Features and upgrades

thumb|On the maiden voyage of Discovery: [[Judith Resnik, Henry Hartsfield, Michael L. Coats, Steven A. Hawley, Charles D. Walker, and Richard M. Mullane]]

thumb|Discovery after booster separation on STS-121

thumb|Discovery approaching the [[International Space Station|ISS on STS-121, its 'teardrop' feature clearly visible|alt=Discovery is approaching the International Space Station during STS-121. The payload in the shuttle's cargo compartment would be attached to the ISS later in the mission. The spaceship's unique 'teardrop' feature, consisting of several black tiles near the cockpit, is clearly visible.]]

thumb|Discovery sends the [[Hubble Space Telescope into orbit on April 25, 1990]]

During its construction, Discovery was fitted with several black tiles near the middle starboard window where there should have been white tiles. It is unknown if this was the result of a harmless manufacturing mishap or done intentionally to give a distinctive look to the shuttle. This feature has been called 'teardrop' and allowed Discovery to be told apart from the rest of the fleet without looking at its name, although often unnoticed by the uninitiated.

The spacecraft weighed roughly less than Columbia when it was brought into service due to optimalizations determined during the construction and testing of Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger. Discovery weighs heavier than Atlantis and heavier than Endeavour after further weight-saving adjustments were made.

Part of the Discovery weight optimizations included the greater use of quilted AFRSI blankets rather than the white LRSI tiles on the fuselage, and the use of graphite epoxy instead of aluminum for the payload bay doors and some of the wing spars and beams.

Upon its delivery to the Kennedy Space Center in 1983, Discovery was 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.

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 fifth set of cryogenic tanks and an external airlock to support missions to the International Space Station. As with all the orbiters, it could 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.

Discovery was decommissioned on March 9, 2011. NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process, as part of the national collection. Discovery replaced Enterprise, which was in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center until 2011. Discovery was transported to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17, 2012, and was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19 where a welcome ceremony was held. Afterwards, at around 5:30 pm, Discovery was rolled to its "final wheels stop" in the Udvar-Hazy Center.

Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz added a provision to the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act to spend $85 million to relocate a space vehicle that has flown astronauts into space, presumably Discovery because of the sponsors of the provision and previous legislation attempts, from the Udvar-Hazy Center to the Space Center Houston Museum in Texas. While the Smithsonian estimated that the total cost of the transfer would be approximately $325 million, they also countered that ownership of the shuttle had been transferred to the museum and was no longer federal property, and that Congress did not have the ability to force a transfer.

Flights

thumb|right|The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), one of the many satellites deployed from Discovery (photo from STS-48)

By its last mission, Discovery had flown in 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, and spent 365 days in orbit over 27 years. Discovery flew more flights than any other Orbiter Shuttle, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery flew both "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 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.

Flights listing

{| class="wikitable sticky-header"

! scope="col" style="width:15px; background:#efefef;"| #

! scope="col" style="width:16%; background:#efefef;"| Date

! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Designation

! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Notes

! scope="col" style="width:18%; background:#efefef;"| Length of journey

| 1

| STS-41-D

| First Discovery mission: Judith Resnik became second American woman in Space. Three communications satellites were put into orbit, including LEASAT F2.

| 6 days, 00 hours, 56 minutes, 04 seconds

| 2

| STS-51-A

| Launched two and rescued two communications satellites including LEASAT F1.

| 7 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds

| 3

| STS-51-C

| Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.

| 3 days, 01 hours, 33 minutes, 23 seconds-

| 4

| STS-51-D

| Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F3. Carried first incumbent United States member of Congress into space, Senator Jake Garn (R–Utah)

| 6 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds

| 5

| STS-51-G

| Launched two communications satellites, Sultan Salman al-Saud becomes first Saudi Arabian in space.

| 7 days, 01 hours, 38 minutes, 52 seconds

| 6

| STS-51-I

| Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F4. Recovered, repaired, and redeployed LEASAT F3.

| 7 days, 02 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds

| 7

| STS-26

| Return to flight after Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, launched TDRS-3.

| 4 days, 01 hours, 00 minutes, 11 seconds

| 8

| STS-29

| Launched TDRS-4.

| 4 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes, 52 seconds

| 9

| STS-33

| Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.

| 5 days, 00 hours, 06 minutes, 49 seconds

| 10

| STS-31

| Launch of Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

| 5 days, 01 hours, 16 minutes, 06 seconds

| 11

| STS-41

| Launch of Ulysses.

| 4 days, 02 hours, 10 minutes, 04 seconds

| 12

| STS-39

| Launched DOD Air Force Program-675 (AFP-675) satellite.

| 8 days, 07 hours, 22 minutes, 23 seconds

| 13

| STS-48

| Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).

| 5 days, 08 hours, 27 minutes, 38 seconds

| 14

| STS-42

| International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1).

| 8 days, 01 hours, 14 minutes, 44 seconds

| 15

| STS-53

| Department of Defense payload.

| 7 days, 07 hours, 19 minutes, 47 seconds

| 16

| STS-56

| Atmospheric Laboratory (ATLAS-2).

| 9 days, 06 hours, 08 minutes, 24 seconds

| 17

| STS-51

| Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).

| 9 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes, 11 seconds

| 18

| STS-60

| First Shuttle-Mir mission; Wake Shield Facility (WSF). First Russian launched in an American spacecraft (Sergei Krikalev).

| 8 days, 07 hours, 09 minutes, 22 seconds

| 19

| STS-64

| LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE).

| 10 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds

| 20

| STS-63

| Rendezvous with Mir space station. First female shuttle pilot Eileen Collins. Longest mission for this Orbiter.

| 15 days 2 hours, 47 minutes 11 seconds‡

|39

|STS-133

| The mission launched at 4:53 pm EST on February 24, was carrying the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo, the ELC-4 and Robonaut 2 to the ISS. Final flight of Discovery.

| 12 days 19 hours, 4 minutes, 50 seconds

‡ Longest shuttle mission for Discovery

– shortest shuttle mission for Discovery

Mission and tribute insignias

center|thumb|NASA Orbiter Tribute for Space Shuttle Discovery|650x650px

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center; width:100%"

!colspan=8| Mission insignia for Discovery flights

|center|100x100px

| STS-41-D

| STS-51-A

| STS-51-C

| STS-51-D

| STS-51-G

| STS-51-I

| STS-26

| STS-29

|center|100x100px

| STS-33

| STS-31

| STS-41

| STS-39

| STS-48

| STS-42

| STS-53

| STS-56

|center|110x110px

|center|100x100px

| STS-51

| STS-60

| STS-64

| STS-63

| STS-70

| STS-82

| STS-85

| STS-91

|center|100x100px

| STS-95

| STS-96

| STS-103

| STS-92

| STS-102

| STS-105

| STS-114

| STS-121

|center|100x100px

| STS-116

| STS-120

| STS-124

| STS-119

| STS-128

| STS-131

| STS-133

Flow directors

The Flow Director was responsible for the overall preparation of the shuttle for launch and processing it after landing, and remained permanently assigned to head the spacecraft's ground crew while the astronaut flight crews changed for every mission. Each shuttle's Flow Director was supported by a Vehicle Manager for the same spacecraft. Space Shuttle Discoverys Flow Directors were:

Until 01/1991: John J. "Tip" Talone Jr. (afterwards Flow Director for Endeavour)
01/1991 – 09/1992: John C. "Chris" Fairey
10/1996 – 05/2000: W. Scott Cilento
12/2000 – 03/2011: Stephanie S. Stilson

Gallery

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|100px

|The launch of STS-41-D, Discoverys first mission

|STS-121 launched on July 4, 2006 – the only Shuttle to launch on Independence Day

|STS-119 on the night of March 11, 2009

|Discovery sits atop a modified Boeing 747 as it touches down at the Kennedy Space Center following STS-128

|Discovery lands after its first flight, STS-41-D

|frameless|130x130px

|100px

|Discovery performing the Rendezvous pitch maneuver during STS-114 prior to docking with the International Space Station

|The Space Shuttle Discovery soon after landing at the end of STS-114

|Modified Boeing 747 carrying Discovery after STS-128

|STS-124 comes to a close as Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center

|Discoverys final touchdown on Kennedy Space Center's runway, concluding the STS-133 mission and Discoverys 27-year career

References

External links

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 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.
Transition and Retirement: Hi-res spherical panoramas of the processing

History

Construction milestones

Features and upgrades

Flights

Flights listing

Mission and tribute insignias

Flow directors

Gallery

See also

References

External links