Space Shuttle Discovery's Legacy
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image0.jpg
After 39 missions, NASA's oldest surviving shuttle will retire. Since its inaugural flight, Discovery has completed more than 30 successful missions, surpassing the number of flights made by any other orbiter in NASA's fleet. On its final mission, Discovery transported the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 to the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image1.jpg
Oct. 9, 1983: Welcome Discovery
NASA's newest space shuttle, Discovery, makes a triumphant fly-by of the Florida Space Coast and the Kennedy Space Center runway before landing at 1:46 p.m. ET. Discovery is shown riding into town secured to the back of a specially modified 747 aircraft known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The orbiter was arriving from the Palmdale, Calif. assembly plant where it was built.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image2.jpg
Aug. 30, 1984: Discovery's Maiden Voyage
Space Shuttle Discovery soars away from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, beginning its maiden voyage and a storied spaceflight career that spanned more than 26 years.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image3.jpg
April 24, 1990: Discovery Launches with Hubble Space Telescope
Space shuttle Columbia on Pad 39A 'watches' the picture-perfect ascent of sister ship Discovery during its liftoff on STS-31.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image4.jpg
April 29, 1990: Touchdown Discovery
Discovery makes a smooth landing on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to complete a successful five-day flight during which the Hubble Space Telescope was sent into orbit.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image5.jpg
Jan. 17, 1997: Rollout from Above
Carried by its mobile launcher platform, shuttle Discovery slowly moves through the high bay doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building on the way to Launch Pad 39A before the STS-82 mission. A seven-member crew performed the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope during the flight.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image6.jpg
May 19, 1998: Tanking Test Success
Discovery is revealed at Launch Pad 39A after the successful test of the new super lightweight external fuel tank.
Weighing 7,500 pounds less than its predecessors, the lightweight tank was developed to increase the Shuttle payload capacity on International Space Station assembly flights.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image7.jpg
Oct. 13, 1998: Discovery's Flight Deck
This fish-eye view shows off Discovery's cockpit as it was configured for the STS-95 mission. Commander Curtis Brown's seat is on the left, while Pilot Steve Lindsey's seat is beside it on the right.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image8.jpg
Oct. 29, 1998: President Clinton Attends Launch
From the roof of the Launch Control Center, U.S. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton track the plume and successful launch of space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-95.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image9.jpg
Oct. 29, 1998: Six Astronaut Heroes and One American Legend
As if sprung from the rolling exhaust clouds below, space shuttle Discovery shoots into the sky over the blue Atlantic Ocean from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-95. Lifting off at 2:19 p.m. ET, Discovery carried a crew of six, including Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio. It was Glenn's second voyage into space after 36 years.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image10.jpg
June 6, 1999: Discovery in Silhouette
With its drag chute fully deployed, space shuttle Discovery lands on Kennedy's brightly lighted Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15, completing the 9-day STS-96 mission.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image11.jpg
Dec. 19, 1999: Lighting the Evening Sky
Like a rising sun, space shuttle Discovery rockets into the night sky on the STS-103 mission at 7:50 p.m. ET. STS-103 was the 27th flight of Discovery and the 96th mission in the Space Shuttle Program.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image12.jpg
Aug. 24, 2000: Suspended Animation
In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane suspends the orbiter Discovery in a vertical position before its move to the high bay where it will be mated to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters for mission STS-92.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image13.jpg
July 2, 2001: An Outstretched Arm
This closeup taken from the 195-foot level at Launch Pad 39A shows the orbiter access arm as it extends toward the side of Discovery. At the end is the environmentally controlled White Room, which provides entry into the orbiter.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image14.jpg
June 22, 2004: A New Set of Thrusters
Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility watch closely as Discovery's Forward Reaction Control System is lowered into position in the orbiter's forward fuselage nose area. The system provides the thrust for pitch, yaw and roll, and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image15.jpg
July 26, 2005: Liftoff of STS-114
As billows of smoke and steam roll away, space shuttle Discovery leaps from Launch Pad 39B on the historic return to flight mission STS-114.
Photo courtesy of NASA / HDNet
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image16.jpg
Aug. 21, 2005: Catching a Ride
Discovery sits on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, as it is towed into the mate/demate device at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image17.jpg
May 19, 2006: In the Evening Glow
Amid the lights from the fixed and rotating service structures, space shuttle Discovery rests on the hardstand of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing the journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Photo courtesy of Ken Thornsley / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image18.jpg
Nov. 7, 2007: Wheels Down
Seen from behind, space shuttle Discovery kicks up dust as it touches down on Runway 33 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to complete the 15-day mission STS-120.
Photo courtesy of Scott Haun, Tom Farrar, Raphael Hernandez / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image19.jpg
June 14, 2008: Discovery Comes Home
Space shuttle Discovery drops from the blue sky preparing to land on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. This 69th landing at Kennedy ended the STS-124 mission, a 14-day flight to the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of Kevin O'Connell, Scott Haun / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image20.jpg
March 19, 2009: Moon Over Discovery
Under a full moon on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is revealed after the rotating service structure has been rolled back in preparation to launch on mission STS-119 to the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of Bill Ingalls / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image21.jpg
Aug. 4, 2009: Light Display for Discovery
Rollout of space shuttle Discovery is slow-going due to the onset of lightning in the area of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout was in preparation for launch on the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of Justin Dernier /EPA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image22.jpg
Aug. 4, 2009: To the Pad
Space shuttle Discovery is silhouetted against the dawn sky as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before launch on mission STS-128 to the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of Dimitri Gerondidakis / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image23.jpg
Sept. 23, 2009: Getting a Lift
NASA's modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, with space shuttle Discovery securely mounted on top, soars into the morning sky after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Photo courtesy of Tony Landis / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image24.jpg
Sept. 9, 2010: Discovery on the Move
Space shuttle Discovery moves from the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.
Photo courtesy of Frankie Martin / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image25.jpg
Sept. 9, 2010: Discovery Rolls to the VAB
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery pauses in between Orbiter Processing Facility-3 and the Vehicle Assembly Building undefinedVAB) during a move called 'rollover.'
Photo courtesy of Jack Pfaller / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image26.jpg
Sept. 21, 2010: Discovery at the Pad
Space shuttle Discovery stands on Launch Pad 39A as the sun sets over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space center workers prepare to move the rotating service structure into place.
Photo courtesy of Dimitri Gerondidakis / NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image27.jpg
Feb. 23, 2011: Ready to Launch
Photographers take photos of the Rotating Service Structure as it rolled back from the space shuttle Discovery.
AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image28.jpg
Feb. 23, 2011: Shuttle Discovery
Space shuttle Discovery stands ready for launch at Pad 39A as the rotating service structure is moved back to expose the orbiter at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/John Raoux
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image29.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Final Destination
The space shuttle Discovery sits on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.,
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image30.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Crew Welcomed
Commander Steve Lindsey, right, waves as he and the crew of space shuttle Discovery, leave the Operations and Checkout Building to board the shuttle at pad 39A.
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image31.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Counting Down
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image32.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Lift Off
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image33.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Lift Off
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/John Raoux
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image34.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Successful Launch
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/John Raoux
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image35.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Off the Ground
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image36.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Sonic Boom
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image37.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Spectators Marvel
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image38.jpg
Feb. 24, 2011: Flight Day 1
STS-133 Mission Specialist Michael Barratt stows his launch-and-entry suit on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery soon after reaching orbit. Barratt will use the suit again when Discovery comes back to Earth after completing its final mission.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image39.jpg
Feb. 25, 2011: Flight Day 2
With Earth below, space shuttle Discovery's vertical stabilizer and orbital maneuvering system pods are photographed by an STS-133 crew member.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image40.jpg
Feb. 26, 2011: Flight Day 3
The docked space shuttle Discovery and the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, are photographed by an STS-133 crew member on the International Space Station. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image41.jpg
Feb. 27, 2011: Flight Day 4
STS-133 pilot Eric Boe and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Expedition 26 flight engineer, work in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image42.jpg
Feb. 28, 2011: Flight Day 5
STS-133 Mission Specialists Steve Bowen, foreground, and Alvin Drew participate in the mission's first spacewalk as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image43.jpg
March 1, 2011: Flight Day 6
In the grasp of the International Space Station's Canadarm2, the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module is transferred from space shuttle Discovery's payload bay to be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity node.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image44.jpg
March 2, 2011: Flight Day 7
Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, STS-133 Mission Specialist Steve Bowen participates in the mission's second spacewalk as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image45.jpg
March 3, 2011: Flight Day 8
Expedition 26 and STS-133 crew members share a meal in the Unity node of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image46.jpg
March 4, 2011: Flight Day 9
Inside the U.S. lab Destiny, 12 astronauts and cosmonauts take a break from a very busy week aboard the International Space Station to pose for a joint STS-133/Expedition 26 group portrait.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image47.jpg
March 5, 2011: Flight Day 10
STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey, left, and Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly pose after placing their mission patches in the International Space Station's newly-installed Permanent Multipurpose Module.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image48.jpg
March 6, 2011: Flight Day 11
Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, Discovery and its remote manipulator system/orbiter boom sensor system is photographed by an STS-133 crew member while docked at the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of NASA
-
http://images.ctv.ca/gallery/photo/space-shuttle-discvery-final-110224/image49.jpg
March 7, 2011: Flight Day 11
Space shuttle Discovery is seen after leaving the International Space Station where the combined crews of 12 astronauts and cosmonauts worked together for over a week.
The area below is the coast of Morocco in the northern Atlantic.
Photo courtesy of NASA
Advertisement
Facebook
Twitter
DIGG
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Reddit
delicious
Yahoo! Buzz
News Sections
Latest Galleries
Entertainment Galleries
