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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery approaches the mate-demate device, or MDD, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discovery’s new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2096

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery approaches the mate-dem...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery approaches the mate-demate device, or MDD, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD is a large gantry-like steel str... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is raised into the mate-demate device during operations to place it on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2168

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is raised into the mate-demate device during operations to place it on top of a Shuttle ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the mate-demate device for mating with space shuttle Discovery. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a Boeing 747 jet originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discovery’s new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2209

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the mate-demate device for mating with space shuttle Discov... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Robert Cabana, second from right, joins space shuttle support personnel in a ceremony following the final power down of space shuttle Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. "Power down" followed the final closure of Discovery's payload bay doors. Discovery is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., in 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-8324

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Robert Cabana, second from right, joins space shuttle support personnel in a ceremony following... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tail cone is installed around space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines for protection. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1039

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tail cone is installed around space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines for protect... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended 60 feet off the ground inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the arrival of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, in the background. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2200

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended 60 feet off the ground inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft prepares to touch down on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:35 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on April 17. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 911 was decommissioned at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California in February. Discovery will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-2006

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft prepares to touch ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft prepares to touch down on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun comes up over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended above the ground at the mate-demate device during operations to place it on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. A tail cone has been installed over Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during the ferry flight. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2167

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun comes up over the Shuttle Landing Fa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun comes up over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended above the ground at the mate-demate device during ope... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, completes the turn on runway 15 in preparation for a takeoff at 7 a.m. EDT to deliver Discovery to its new home. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2012-2359

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, completes t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun rises, preparations are under way for the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying space shuttle Discovery to back out of the Shuttle Landing Facility's mate-demate device at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet that was originally manufactured for commercial use and modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2250

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun rises, preparations are under way fo...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun rises, preparations are under way for the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying space shuttle Discovery to back out of the Shuttle Landing Facility's mate-demate device at NASA’s K... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an employee guides a replica shuttle main engine (RSME) toward installation on space shuttle Discovery. This is the first of three replica engines to be installed. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-8168

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an employee guides a replica shuttle main engine (RSME) toward installation on space shuttle Discovery. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, taxies down the runway for a takeoff at 7 a.m. EDT to deliver Discovery to its new home. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2012-2356

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, taxies down... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A replica shuttle main engine (RSME) is poised for installation on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RSME is one of three that will be installed on Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. The replicas are being built in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine shop at Kennedy to replace the shuttle engines which will be placed in storage to support NASA's Space Launch System, under development. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-8188

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A replica shuttle main engine (RSME) is poised ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A replica shuttle main engine (RSME) is poised for installation on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RSME is one o... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow space shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Protective plastic covers the nose of Discovery where its forward reaction control system (FRCS) once resided. Discovery's FRCS was removed and shipped to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico for a full cleaning and deservicing before it is returned to Kennedy and reinstalled. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-5525

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow space shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Protectiv... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home receives permission for a 7-a.m. takeoff from the control tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Lorne Mathre KSC-2012-2394

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home receives permission for a 7-a.m. takeoff from the control tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, is complete as the sun comes up over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A tail cone has been installed over its three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its upcoming ferry flight. At the SLF, Discovery will be hoisted onto a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with the aid of a mate-demate device. The SCA, a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2100

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, is complete as the sun comes up over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) is being transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tail cone will be installed around Discovery’s RSMEs for protection. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1028

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s th...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) is being transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress as the tail cone is installed around space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines for protection. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1035

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress as the tail cone is installed around space shuttle Discovery’s three re... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A T-38 jet taxis onto the apron of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The jet is at Kennedy to support space shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft designated NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, and is assigned to all remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. After its arrival at Dulles, Discovery will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidaki KSC-2012-2330

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A T-38 jet taxis onto the apron of the Shuttle ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A T-38 jet taxis onto the apron of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The jet is at Kennedy to support space shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery has been completely backed out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 in preparation for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. The aft view of Discovery reveals the tail cone that covers the three replica shuttle main engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery will remain in high bay 4 of the VAB until its scheduled transport atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17. Discovery will then be transported to the Smithsonian on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1705

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery has been completely backed out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 in preparation for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Buil... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft moves into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended 60 feet off the ground in the mate-demate device. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2232

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft moves into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended 60 feet off the ground ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft approaches the apron of the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:35 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on April 17. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 911 was decommissioned at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California in February. Discovery will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1994

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft approaches the apr...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft approaches the apron of the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:3... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lifted off the ground into the mate-demate device. Operations are under way to position Discovery on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on Tuesday. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2155

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lifted off the ground into the mate-demate device. Operations are under way to positi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery backs out of its processing bay, Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, to begin the move to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-5527

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery backs out of its processing bay, Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, to begin the move to the Vehicle Assembly Bui... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery -- its nose encased in protective plastic, its cockpit windows covered, and strongbacks attached to its payload bay doors -- awaits entry into the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, after rolling from Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-5550

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery -- its nose encased in protective plastic, its cockpit windows covered, and strongbacks attached to its payload bay doo... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is being readied for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. The aft view of Discovery reveals the tail cone that covers the three replica shuttle main engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery will remain in high bay 4 of the VAB until its scheduled transport atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17. Discovery will then be transported to the Smithsonian on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1698

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is being readied for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. The aft view of... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians ready the forward reaction control system (FRCS) for installation on space shuttle Discovery. The FRCS was returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where it underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-7672

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians ready the forward reaction control system (FRCS) for installation on space shuttle Discovery. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane on the mate-demate device lifts space shuttle Discovery from the ground. Operations are under way to position Discovery on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on Tuesday. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2159

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane on the mate-demate device lifts space shuttle Discovery from the ground. Operations are under way to pos... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a long-angle view reveals the underside of space shuttle Discovery where the ferry flight doors are being installed. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery is scheduled to be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17 and then moved to the Smithsonian for permanent public display on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1651

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a long-angle view reveals the underside of space shuttle Discovery where the ferry flight doors are being i... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rolls along the towway from Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Railings, called strongbacks, are installed along Discovery's payload bay doors to assist with opening and closing of the doors when the shuttle's hydraulic system is not operational and support the doors while they are open. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-5540

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rolls along the towway from Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Railing... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Media snap photos as space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, slowly rolls along the runway of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The duo is set to begin their 3 1/2 hour ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia at about 7 a.m. EDT. Above the two craft is a NASA helicopter covering the departure. Discovery is leaving Kennedy after more than 28 years of service beginning with its arrival on the space coast Nov. 9, 1983. Discovery first launched to space Aug. 30, 1984, on the STS-41D mission. Discovery is the agency's most-flown shuttle with 39 missions, more than 148 million miles and a total of one year in space. Discovery is set to move to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19 where it will be placed on public display. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2012-2422

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Media snap photos as space shuttle Discovery, m...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Media snap photos as space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, slowly rolls along the runway of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florid... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install a ferry flight door on space shuttle Discovery. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery is scheduled to be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17 and then moved to the Smithsonian for permanent public display on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1654

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install a ferry flight door on space shuttle Discovery. The work is part of the Space Shuttl... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lifts a dome heat shield that will be installed around one of space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines. The dome heat shields are composed of two, semi-circle-shaped sections of thermal protection system tiles that surround the engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-8305

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lifts a dome heat shield that will be installed around on... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The “pathfinder” aircraft for space shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight taxis onto the apron of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The NASA C-9 aircraft will fly about 100 miles ahead of Discovery to scout for the safest route between destinations. Its crew includes an SCA flight engineer who studies the weather patterns along the flight path to find a route free of rain and other turbulence. The carrier aircraft, also known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, and is assigned to all remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. After its arrival at Dulles, Discovery will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidaki KSC-2012-2327

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The “pathfinder” aircraft for space shuttle Dis...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The “pathfinder” aircraft for space shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight taxis onto the apron of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The NASA C-9 aircra... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians complete the work to install the ferry flight doors on space shuttle Discovery. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery is scheduled to be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17 and then moved to the Smithsonian for permanent public display on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1655

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians complete the work to install the ferry flight doors on space shuttle Discovery. The work is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker guides the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended in the mate-demate device. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2012-2244

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker guides the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended in the mate-d... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers secure a sling to space shuttle Discovery in order to lift it onto the top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the aid of the mate-demate device. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2126

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers secure a sling to space shuttle Discovery in order to lift it onto the top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery and its companion T-38 jet fly over Space Launch Complex-17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after taking off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo are heading south to fly over Brevard County’s beach communities, offering residents the opportunity to see the shuttle before it leaves the Space Coast for the last time. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Lorne Mathre KSC-2012-2415

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery and its companion T-38 jet fly over Space Launch Complex-17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after taking off from NAS... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery sports two replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three RSMEs will be installed on Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. The replicas are being built in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine shop at Kennedy to replace the shuttle engines which will be placed in storage to support NASA's Space Launch System, under development. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-8190

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery sports two replica shut...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery sports two replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three RSMEs will be installed on Disco... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida finds preparations under way to lift space shuttle Discovery onto the back of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the background. The lift will be accomplished with the aid of a mate-demate device, or MDD, a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of an SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discovery’s new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2088

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SL...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida finds preparations under way to lift space shuttle Discovery onto the back of the Shuttle Carri... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) is being transported to Orbiter processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tail cone will be installed around Discovery’s RSMEs for protection. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1029

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s th...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) is being transported to Orbiter processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, takes off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT and makes a flyby near the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. The duo is beginning its ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia that also includes a flyby of the Space Coast and Washington, D.C. Also flying along with the pair is a T-38 training jet. Discovery is leaving Kennedy after more than 28 years of service beginning with its arrival on the space coast Nov. 9, 1983. Discovery first launched to space Aug. 30, 1984, on the STS-41D mission. Discovery is the agency’s most-flown shuttle with 39 missions, more than 148 million miles and a total of one year in space. Discovery is set to move to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., on April 19 where it will be place on public display. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Powers and Rick Wetherington KSC-2012-2459

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, takes off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT and makes a ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis foreground is towed in to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 after being towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. Workers will continue to prepare Atlantis for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Meanwhile, space shuttle Discovery is on the move from OPF-1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. The aft view of Discovery reveals the tail cone that covers the three replica shuttle main engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery will remain in high bay 4 of the VAB until its scheduled transport atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17. Discovery will then be transported to the Smithsonian on April 19. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1710

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis foreground is towed in to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 after being towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building VAB. Workers... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to re-install the three fuel cells in space shuttle Discovery’s mid-body. The fuel cells were removed and drained of all fluids. The hydrogen and oxygen dewars which feed reactants to the fuel cells remain in Discovery’s mid-body and have been purged with inert gases and vented down. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2011-8199

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to re-install the three fuel cells in space shuttle Discovery’s mid-body. The fuel c... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach space shuttle Discovery to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the mate-demate device. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2240

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach space shuttle Discovery to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the mate-demate device. The device,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media representatives participate in a Now and Future Tour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here, they make a stop at the Launch Pad 39B, which is being restructured for future use. Its new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. Leading the tour is Jose Perez-Morales, NASA's pad B project manager. Other stops along the tour included Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) and the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). OPF-2 is where shuttle Discovery is being prepared for future public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The SLF's runway could be used for private companies and government agencies to host a diversity of launch systems, including orbital and suborbital flights. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-3149

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media representatives participate in a Now and...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media representatives participate in a Now and Future Tour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here, they make a stop at the Launch Pad 39B, which is being restructured for future... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home departs from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo are heading south to fly over Brevard County’s beach communities for residents to get a look at the shuttle before it leaves the Space Coast for the last time. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia today, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2012-2374

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home departs from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo are heading south to fly over ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, takes off from runway 15 at 7 a.m. EDT. The SCA will deliver Discovery to its new home. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2012-2365

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, takes off f... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1). Endeavour is switching places with shuttle Discovery which temporarily has been housed in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Both shuttles will stop briefly outside OPF-3 for a "nose-to-nose" photo opportunity. Discovery then will be rolled into OPF-1 and Endeavour into the VAB. The image was taken from the top of the VAB. In OPF-1, Discovery will undergo further preparations for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Endeavour will be stored in the VAB until October when it will be moved into OPF-2 for further work to get it ready for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-6361

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1). Endeavour is switching places with shuttle Discovery which tempora... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Before daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery hovers above the ground at the mate-demate device. Operations are under way to position Discovery on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on Tuesday. A tail cone has been installed over Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during the ferry flight. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2177

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Before daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Before daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery hovers above the ground at the mate-demate device. Operations are under ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) past employees and media representatives eager to take a few photographs. Discovery is switching places with shuttle Endeavour which has been undergoing decommissioning in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1). Both shuttles will stop briefly outside OPF-3 for a "nose-to-nose" photo opportunity. Discovery then will be rolled into OPF-1 and Endeavour into the VAB. The image was taken from the top of the VAB. In OPF-1, Discovery will undergo further preparations for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Endeavour will be stored in the VAB until October when it will be moved into OPF-2 for further work to get it ready for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-6365

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) past employees and media representatives eager to take a few photograp... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is in position in the mate/demate device so that space shuttle Discovery can be lowered and attached to it. Known as the MDD, the devise is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet that was originally manufactured for commercial use and modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2268

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is in position in the mate/demate device so that space shuttle Discovery can be l... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, takes off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo is beginning its ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia that also includes a flyby of the Space Coast and Washington, D.C. Also flying along with the pair is a T-38 training jet. Discovery is leaving Kennedy after more than 28 years of service beginning with its arrival on the space coast Nov. 9, 1983. Discovery first launched to space Aug. 30, 1984, on the STS-41D mission. Discovery is the agency’s most-flown shuttle with 39 missions, more than 148 million miles and a total of one year in space. Discovery is set to move to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., on April 19 where it will be place on public display. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Powers and Rick Wetherington KSC-2012-2458

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, takes off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended 60 feet off the ground inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the arrival of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2201

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is suspended 60 feet off the ground inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) arrives at Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tail cone will be installed around Discovery’s RSMEs for protection. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-1031

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s th...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discovery’s three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) arrives at Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tail cone w... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Outside Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media are on hand to cover the move of space shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-2011-5571

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Outside Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Outside Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media are on hand to cover the move of space shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Buildin... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, rises just after 7 a.m. EDT from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The duo is beginning their 3 1/2 hour ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Discovery is leaving Kennedy after more than 28 years of service beginning with its arrival on the space coast Nov. 9, 1983. Discovery first launched to space Aug. 30, 1984, on the STS-41D mission. Discovery is the agency's most-flown shuttle with 39 missions, more than 148 million miles and a total of one year in space. Discovery is set to move to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19 where it will be placed on public display. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-2387

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, rises just after 7 a.m. EDT from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The duo is beginni... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This is an aerial view of the long Shuttle Landing Facility SLF runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida that space shuttle Discovery, bolted to the top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, will take off from on April 17. Discovery's last crew members are expected to be at the runway, along with Kennedy employees and guests, as the center says goodbye to the agency's most-flown shuttle. The SCA, designated NASA 905, will ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, after which the shuttle will be moved for public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-2313

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This is an aerial view of the long Shuttle Land...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This is an aerial view of the long Shuttle Landing Facility SLF runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida that space shuttle Discovery, bolted to the top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircr... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery -- its space shuttle main engines long since removed -- approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, from Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2. Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. For more information about Discovery's Transition and Retirement, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-5547

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery -- its space shuttle main engines long since removed -- approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, from Orbiter ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the aft end of space shuttle Endeavour appears as it backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1). Endeavour is switching places with shuttle Discovery which temporarily has been housed in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Both shuttles will stop briefly outside OPF-3 for a "nose-to-nose" photo opportunity. Discovery then will be rolled into OPF-1 and Endeavour into the VAB. In OPF-1, Discovery will undergo further preparations for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Endeavour will be stored in the VAB until October when it will be moved into OPF-2 for further work to get it ready for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-6385

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the aft end of space shuttle Endeavour appears as it backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1). Endeavour is switching places with sh... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1454

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Direc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. Glenn is at the space center to mar... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1449

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs autographs in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1458

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs autographs in Orbiter Process...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs autographs in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display. Glenn is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, talks to guests in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display during a 50th anniversary celebration of the first orbital flight of an American. The astronaut who made that first flight, John Glenn, is at the space center to commemorate that achievement. Glenn orbited the Earth three times in the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. He later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Also in the photo are Glenn's wife, Annie, NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson, and Bob Sieck, a former shuttle launch director. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1450

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana,...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, talks to guests in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display during a 5... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs the wall of the clean room leading into space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1457

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs the wall of the clean room le...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn signs the wall of the clean room leading into space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space c... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1451

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands in the middeck of space shut...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1445

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sits at the controls in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. At the space center in Florida, Cabana is helping John Glenn mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1455

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sits at the controls in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. At the space center in Florida, C... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand beside the wheel of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1448

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand beside the wheel of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1452

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1453

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn i... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1444

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, and NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson stand under space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana talks to guests in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display during a 50th anniversary celebration of the first orbital flight of an American. The astronaut who made that first flight, John Glenn, is at the space center to commemorate that achievement. Glenn orbited the Earth three times in the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. He later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1446

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana talks to guests in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display during a 50th anni... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands beside the wheel of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1447

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands beside the wheel of space sh...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn stands beside the wheel of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 5... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson sits at the controls in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Robinson is helping John Glenn mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Robinson was the payload commander of STS-95. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1456

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson sits at the co...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson sits at the controls in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Robin... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, left, enter Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public display. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1443

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, left, enter Or...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and his wife, Annie, left, enter Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for public displ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers affix a cage over an Approach and Landing Test Assembly (ALTA) pod. The ALTA pod will be lifted for attachment to space shuttle Endeavour on the site once housing the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod. The demonstration test is being conducted to ensure the center’s equipment will fit into the hangar at the National Air and Space Museum when installing an ALTA pod on shuttle Enterprise. The pod must be reinstalled on a shuttle for transport on a 747 carrier aircraft. The simulation also tests procedures and timelines necessary to carry out the process. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing. Enterprise, which was not equipped for space flight, was built as a test vehicle to demonstrate that the orbiter could fly in the atmosphere and land like an airplane. In 1985, Enterprise was ferried from the Kennedy Space Center to Dulles Airport, Washington, D.C., and became the property of the Smithsonian Institute. Enterprise will be moved from the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Shiflett KSC-2011-7118

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers affix a cage over an Approach and Landing Test Assembly (ALTA) pod. The ALTA pod will be lifted for att... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the front end of space shuttle Endeavour is raised off the floor of the VAB by lifts, as workers prepare to attach an Approach and Landing Test Assembly (ALTA) pod to the back of the shuttle. The ALTA pod will be fitted over the area once housing the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod. The demonstration test is being conducted to ensure the center’s equipment will fit into the hangar at the National Air and Space Museum when installing an ALTA pod on shuttle Enterprise. The pod must be reinstalled on a shuttle for transport on a 747 carrier aircraft. The simulation also will test procedures and timelines necessary to carry out the process. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing. Enterprise, which was not equipped for space flight, was built as a test vehicle to demonstrate that the orbiter could fly in the atmosphere and land like an airplane. In 1985, Enterprise was ferried from the Kennedy Space Center to Dulles Airport, Washington, D.C., and became the property of the Smithsonian Institute. Enterprise will be moved from the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Shiflett KSC-2011-7110

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the front end of space shuttle Endeavour is raised off the floor of the VAB by lifts, as workers prepare to att... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft parks near the mate/demate device at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:35 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on April 17. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 911 was decommissioned at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California in February. Discovery will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1999

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft parks near the mat...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft parks near the mate/demate device at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:35... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, speaks with Professor Sam Ting, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana and STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2868

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, speak...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, speaks with Professor Sam Ting, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kennedy Center... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Expedition 27 crew members from the International Space Station appear onscreen to address NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media waiting to hear which of the four institutions will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2862

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Expedition 27 crew members from the Intern...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Expedition 27 crew members from the International Space Station appear onscreen to address NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media waiting to hear which ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take center stage to the banners commemorating the orbiters that served the Space Shuttle Program. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2879

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take cent...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take center stage to the banners commemorating the orbiters that served the Space Shuttle Program. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter P... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions receiving shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2866

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Di...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions receiving shuttle orbiters for permanen... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mike Parrish, space shuttle Endeavour's vehicle manager with United Space Alliance addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2872

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mike Parrish, space shuttle Endeavour's vehicl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mike Parrish, space shuttle Endeavour's vehicle manager with United Space Alliance addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shu... More

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2874

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's...

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed p... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana appears pleased that Kennedy was awarded shuttle Atlantis to be displayed permanently in Florida. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2878

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana appears ple...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana appears pleased that Kennedy was awarded shuttle Atlantis to be displayed permanently in Florida. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Pro... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media stand to applaud the news that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2882

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media stand to applaud the news that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent displa... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take center stage to the banners commemorating the orbiters that served the Space Shuttle Program. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2859

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take cent...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines take center stage to the banners commemorating the orbiters that served the Space Shuttle Program. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Pro... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2877

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses the audience poised to hear which of the four institutions will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2861

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana addresses the audience poised to hear which of the four institutions will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in fro... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Standing proudly in front of shuttle Atlantis' three main engines are, from left, STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA Astronaut and Director of Flight Crew Operations Janet Kavandi, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana and Mike Parrish, space shuttle Endeavour's vehicle manager with United Space Alliance. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2867

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Standing proudly in front of shuttle Atlantis'...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Standing proudly in front of shuttle Atlantis' three main engines are, from left, STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, NAS... More

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2875

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's...

In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed p... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media await the announcement that will reveal the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2880

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA officials, Florida representatives, Kennedy employees and media await the announcement that will reveal the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent displa... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Later, employees, their families and friends, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch at the visitor complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2865

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Process...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana sit on the dias listening to other speakers after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display. In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch with the launch of shuttle Columbia. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2870

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana sit on the dias listening to other speakers after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialists Nicole Stott, Alvin Drew and Steve Bowen autograph their formal portraits for Kennedy employees during a crew return event. The crew launched from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A aboard space shuttle Discovery on its final flight on February 24, 2011 to the International Space Station. The crew delivered Robonaut 2 and the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts on a 13-day mission. Discovery is being processed for retirement and will be displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2942

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy S...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialists Nicole Stott, Alvin Drew and Steve Bowen autograph their formal portraits for Kennedy em... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the STS-133 crew signs autographs for Kennedy employees during a crew return event. From left are Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe, Mission Specialists Michael Barratt, Steve Bowen, Alvin Drew (partially obscured) and Nicole Stott. The crew launched from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A aboard space shuttle Discovery on its final flight on February 24, 2011 to the International Space Station. The crew delivered Robonaut 2 and the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts on a 13-day mission. Discovery is being processed for retirement and will be displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2939

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy S...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the STS-133 crew signs autographs for Kennedy employees during a crew return event. From left are Commander Steve Lin... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey autographs a space shuttle replica for a Kennedy employee during a crew return event. The crew launched from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A aboard space shuttle Discovery on its final flight on February 24, 2011 to the International Space Station. The crew delivered Robonaut 2 and the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts on a 13-day mission. Discovery is being processed for retirement and will be displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2941

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy S...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey autographs a space shuttle replica for a Kennedy employee during a crew return event... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the STS-133 crew signs autographs for Kennedy employees during a crew return event. From left are Mission Specialists Steve Bowen, Alvin Drew and Nicole Stott. The crew launched from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A aboard space shuttle Discovery on its final flight on February 24, 2011 to the International Space Station. The crew delivered Robonaut 2 and the Permanent Multipurpose Module packed with supplies and critical spare parts on a 13-day mission. Discovery is being processed for retirement and will be displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2937

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy S...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the STS-133 crew signs autographs for Kennedy employees during a crew return event. From left are Mission Specialists... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Stephanie Stilson (facing camera), flow director for space shuttle Discovery, discusses Discovery's thermal protection system with members of a visiting team from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced April 12 the facilities where all four shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired in March after completing its 39th mission. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2011-3009

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Stephanie Stilson (facing camera), flow...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Stephanie Stilson (facing camera), flow director for space shuttle Discovery, discusses Discovery's thermal protection system with members of a visiting team from the Smithsonian'... More

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