It got Nasa flying again, in 19, following the Challenger and Columbia disasters. It made its debut in 1984 following shuttles Columbia and Challenger, dispatched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, flew the first shuttle rendezvous to Russia's Mir space station and carried the first female shuttle pilot in 1995, and gave another ride into space to John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1998. Perhaps more than any other shuttle, Discovery consistently delivered. "It came back as perfect on its final flight as it did on its first flight," Lindsey said. They noted that the spacecraft was going into retirement still "at the top of her game".ĭiscovery's last mission unfolded smoothly despite a four-month grounding for fuel tank repairs and a liftoff on 24 February in the last two seconds of the countdown. Throughout the flight, Lindsey and his crew marvelled at how well Discovery was performing. It will make the 750m (1,200km) journey strapped to the top of a jumbo jet. Nasa estimates it will take several months of work – removing the three main engines and draining all hazardous fuels – before Discovery is ready to head to the Smithsonian Institution.
All that was achieved in under 27 years.ĭiscovery now leads the way to retirement as Nasa winds down the 30-year shuttle programme in favour of interplanetary travel. "As the minutes pass, I'm actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight."Įven after shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis make their final voyages in the coming months, Discovery will still hold the all-time record with 39 missions, 148 million miles (238 million kilometres), 5,830 orbits of Earth, and 365 days spent in space. "It's a pretty bittersweet moment for all of us," Lindsey said. He was the last of the six crew members to climb out of the shuttle.ĭozens of Nasa officials – flight directors, launch managers, former astronauts – joined the crew on the runway to admire the shuttle and pose for pictures. "For the final time: wheels stop," commander Steven Lindsey called out when the shuttle rolled to a stop. When it landed three minutes before noon EST (5pm GMT), Discovery ceased being a reusable spaceship. "To the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say, 'Farewell Discovery'," declared Mission Control commentator Josh Byerly.
0 kommentar(er)
