Spaceflight Now




Discovery enters Smithsonian as historic relic of bygone era
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: April 19, 2012


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The most-flown spaceship in human history, sailing on 39 voyages to deploy and retrieve satellites, open a new window on the universe by launching the Hubble Space Telescope and help to construct the International Space Station, the shuttle orbiter Discovery reached her final resting place today at the Smithsonian.


Former crew members induct their Discovery into the Smithsonian.
Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
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Having orbited the planet 5,830 times and traveled 148,221,675 miles, Discovery was the fleet-leading vehicle for the space shuttle program, serving the United States in flight from 1984 to 2011.

"Space shuttle Discovery is the star, it has the most extensive record of all the shuttle fleet. It's 39 missions included a whole bunch of things, but it became a science platform for nine flights, a satellite launcher for 12 flights, a telescope repair station. ... And also served as a plain, flat-out truck. It was the first space station delivery truck, 13 flights it made to put together the space station that goes over us even today," said John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth in 1962 and a payload specialist aboard Discovery in 1998.

"Discovery was truly a heavy hauler in construction of the International Space Station, and that station is now doing continuing research with 15 international partners for us in the most unique scientific laboratory ever conceived."

But with the decision by then-President George W. Bush in 2004 to wind down the shuttle program, Discovery flew into a forced retirement.

"The unfortunate decision made eight-and-a-half years ago to terminate the shuttle fleet in my view prematurely grounded Discovery and delayed our research. But those decisions have been made, we recovered and now we move on with new programs and possibilities unlimited," Glenn said at today's Smithsonian ceremony.


United Space Alliance ground technicians watch the ceremony.
Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
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Discovery underwent an extensive decommissioning and safing process over the past year that culminated with this morning's ceremony outside the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia to make the spaceplane an artifact in the Smithsonian's national collection of aerospace treasures.

"The hope that we leave with you today is that this magnificent flying machine that carried more people to space than any vehicle ever before will be a testament, not only to overcoming the human and technological obstacles of the day, but a tangible example that our dreams of exploration, of reaching our higher potential are always within reach if we stretch for them," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former Discovery mission commander.

"I hope people appreciate the workmanship, the craftsmanship, the expertise that went into making that vehicle over and over again," said Steve Bowen, a spacewalker on last year's final Discovery mission.

Our photo galleries from today:

The Smithsonian had the prototype orbiter Enterprise on display since 2003, but moved that vehicle out of the museum early today to make room for Discovery and her historic credentials.

"Discovery is the vehicle of record, so we did everything we could to keep it as intact as possible. That was a big desire of the Smithsonian so that a hundred years from now if an engineer that wants to crawl around and see what it took to fly in space they can do that," said Stephanie Stilson, the NASA official responsible for overseeing the shuttles' retirements and moves to museums.

"We've minimized the things we took out. There's some things that had to come out -- certain communications boxes for security reasons, certain lines we could not flush enough to make safe. So the Orbital Maneuvering System pods in the back those are basically gutted, forward reaction control system basically gutted."


Discovery is towed from Dulles to the museum.
Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
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While sisterships Atlantis and Endeavour have been donating key pieces of hardware from their main propulsion systems for use in NASA's future heavy-lift rocket, Discovery was not compelled to be as charitable.

"Of the three flight vehicles, this is going to be the one that is most flight-like," said Kevin Templin, the shuttle program's transition manager.

"We have retained a lot of hardware for future use and for forensics engineering. We've taken some parts off Discovery, but of the three we've left most of the main propulsion system intact. The other two vehicles -- Atlantis and Endeavour -- have had more of their main propulsion systems removed for use in the Space Launch System.

"Certainly from the outside all three vehicles are going to look the same as they would for spaceflight. What has been taken out has been internal and the public won't know the difference."

It was the sense of history and preserving one of the orbiters, particularly for the Smithsonian, that kept Discovery from being scavenged excessively.

"It is going to the Air and Space Museum, which is the national collection. So there was a concerted effort where we were working with other programs that if we didn't need quantities of hardware that required us to take it from all three, we would leave the hardware in Discovery. Since it is the nation's collection of aircraft and spacecraft, we wanted this one preserved for posterity," said Templin.


Former crew members induct their Discovery into the Smithsonian.
Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
See full image

 
In addition to removing sections of plumbing and valves from the shuttles' aft compartments for future use, the stock of main engines has been placed in environmentally-controlled storage to power NASA's mega rocket. The shuttles are being fitted with replica engine nozzles for display.

What's more, technicians are removing items of interest for engineering autopsies on equipment never fully probed while the shuttles were in service.

"This is the only reusable spacecraft that has flown 135 missions. Some of the hardware has never been looked at, we've never had to take it off, it's never needed to be examined. So we would to compare, take that stuff apart to see how it really faired over years of flight," said Templin.

With Discovery now delivered, Enterprise will be towed to the mobile crane contraption erected at the neighboring Dulles International Airport for hoisting atop the Boeing 747 carrier jet in advance of next Monday's scheduled transport to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Once the mobile crane system is finished at Dulles, it will be packed up, trucked to JFK and reassembled for the task of lowering Enterprise there.

But that "traveling roadshow" and the time required to set up the lifting equipment means the 747 and Enterprise will remain coupled together for about three weeks, sitting patiently within a large tent-like de-icing facility at the airport.

Later this June, Enterprise takes a 30-mile barge ride to reach the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the Hudson River. NASA will lend the museum a sling to raise the orbiter off the barge and onto the vintage aircraft carrier now a floating display site of historic aircraft.


Enterprise and Discovery.
Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
See full image

 
Endeavour is headed in September to Los Angeles, becoming an inspirational exhibit at the California Science Center, a sprawling educational and hands-on learning facility for students. Plans call for the vehicle to be displayed vertically with an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters as she would have looked poised for blastoff.

But Endeavour faces a tricky 13-mile journey through city streets from the Los Angeles International Airport to the museum.

"They've done a really good job of planning out a route that will allow the wing span to go through city streets. A lot of coordination has to take place there because of utility lines, street lights, things like that. That has been in work since they were awarded Endeavour," said Templin.

"We've driven the tow route with them. It all looks feasible -- challenging -- but they have a good plan to get from Los Angeles International to the California Science Center. They are looking to do that in October."

Atlantis will remain at the space shuttle homeport, the newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex that will receive the orbiter this November and open its freshly constructed exhibit to the public next summer. The commercially-run center will have Atlantis displayed with the payload bay doors open as if the orbiter was in space.

Discovery will remain resting on her landing gear in post-touchdown fashion, appearing as though she just returned from a mission.

"It is sad to see something you've invested half of your career in going off to a museum, but the museums have great plans for exhibiting the vehicles," said Templin.

"I think we need to get up-close and understand how complex this program is and a better understanding of what we can build, what the United States is capable of and hopefully foster some support and excitement about what we are going to do."





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VIDEO: THE HISTORY OF SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR PLAY
VIDEO: THE HISTORY OF SHUTTLE ATLANTIS PLAY

VIDEO: INSPECTION OF THE MISSION PAYLOADS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROBONAUT ARRIVES AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SPACE STATION'S SPARE THERMAL RADIATOR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: BLANKETING LEONARDO WITH INSULATION PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: RACK INSERTED INTO LEONARDO FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LEONARDO RETURNS FROM ITS PREVIOUS FLIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: STATION'S SPARE PARTS DEPOT ARRIVES PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: ORBITER'S PAYLOAD BAY CLOSED FOR ROLLOUT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS VISIT THEIR SPACECRAFT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW INSPECTS LEONARDO MODULE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: DISCOVERY RECEIVES ITS MAIN ENGINES PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FUEL TANK MATED TO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: HOISTING FUEL TANK INTO CHECKOUT BAY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL FUEL TANK UNLOADED FROM BARGE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: MISSION'S FUEL TANK ARRIVES AT SPACEPORT PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT DESERVICING: OMS POD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT DESERVICING: OBSS BOOM PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT DESERVICING: ENGINES PLAY | HI-DEF
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MISSION STATUS CENTER