The exterior, covered with protection tiles, is scarred with the 'incredibly violent proces of traveling through the atmosphere,' says the curator.Īmong its firsts, Discovery was flown by Eileen Collins, the first female spacecraft pilot, in 1995 and by the first women commanders, Collins in 2005 and Pamela Melroy in 2006, as well as the first African American commander, Frederick Gregory in 1989. It has such an important story to tell in terms of human spaceflight, the reasons why we go into space and what we learn from being there.” “For the Smithsonian, it is one of the signature space artifacts.

“ Discovery is a real highlight of the National Air and Space Museum,” Levasseur says. All told, it spent a year-365 days-in space and participated in every type of mission planned for the Space Shuttles. Metal loops protect the switches and dials from accidental activation, a holdover from older spacecraft like the Apollo 11 command module.įrom 1984 through its retirement in 2011, Discovery flew a record 39 missions and traveled nearly 150 million miles. This workhorse went through a number of refurbishments to last as long as it did.”Ī view of Discovery's cockpit shows the commander's seat at left and the pilot's seat with straps that kept them secure during launch and re-entry. We refer to it as the ‘Champion of the Fleet.’ It is a singular example of the technology that was developed in the 1970s. It flew the most number of missions and most number of miles. “With the loss of Columbia, Discovery became the most experienced Space Shuttle. “After the loss of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, it was flown on the very first mission on each occasion. “It actually flew both ‘Return to Flight’ missions,” says Jennifer Levasseur, museum curator of Discovery. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the enormous artifact’s historical significance soars beyond that one mission. Today, Discovery is the 172,000-pound centerpiece of space exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Two days later, the historic Space Shuttle went on permanent display. The aircraft, carrying its cargo, made several passes over the city of Washington, D.C. It was a nervous moment as the NASA launch commentator counted down: “3, 2, 1, 0 and lift off! Lift off! America’s return to space!” About 8 1/2 minutes later, Discovery eased into orbit around Earth with nary a glitch while billions of people let out a collective sigh of relief.ĭiscovery arrived at the Smithsonian on April 17, 2012, transported aboard a Boeing 747. 28, 1986, when the rocket exploded shortly after takeoff, killing all seven astronauts on board? Would there be a repeat of that terrible day on Jan.

All eyes were on the television showing the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, many daring not to blink in case tragedy should strike again.ĭiscovery was ready to go back into the weightless expanse-the first Space Shuttle mission since the Challenger disaster nearly three years earlier. As the countdown ticked closer to liftoff on September 29, 1988, the world held its breath.

Space shuttle interior