Shuttle Discovery back on Earth
Posted March 9, 2011 12:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After nearly two weeks at the International Space Station, shuttle Discovery is back on Earth, marking the end of an era for NASA.
The world’s most-flown spaceship landed at NASA’s Florida spaceport around noon Wednesday and will now be retired.
Discovery made 39 trips over its 30 years, flying approximately 238-million kilometers and spending 365 days in space.
Its final destination will reportedly be the famous Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C.
Discovery is the first of NASA’s three surviving shuttles to be decommissioned. Two shuttle flights remain, by Endeavour, then Atlantis. They are scheduled to occur in April and June, respectively, before the shuttle program will be shut down.
