NASA gears for a truly historic moment as it prepares the space shuttle Discovery for its 39th and final mission.
Known for its unmatched and extraordinary achievements, the space shuttle is often referred to as the workhouse of the space agency.
Built in 1984, Discover was the third operational orbiter used for both research and for International Space Station (ISS) missions. In all 38 trips, the shuttle has spent a total of 352 days in orbit and circled the earth 5,628 times.
Start the slideshow to know more and get the historic glimpses of the shuttle before it takes off for its last mission.
NASA gears for a truly historic moment as it prepares the space shuttle Discovery for its 39th and final mission.
Known for its unmatched and extraordinary achievements, the space shuttle is often referred to as the “workhouse” of the space agency.
Built in 1984, Discover was the third operational orbiter used for both research purpose and for International Space Station (ISS) missions. In all 38 trips, the shuttle has spent a total of 352 days in orbit and circled the earth 5,628 times.
With a confirmed take-off date on Friday, the crew members performs the final maintenance checks before the shuttle launches to deliver a final module to the U.S. segment of the station, the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), as well as the first humanoid robot to fly in space, Robonaut2.
In the picture: The space shuttle Discovery as seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.
NASA/handout.The crew members for the mission includes Commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Alvin Drew, Steve Bowen, Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott.
"Everything is on track and going beautifully with the countdown. We're really looking forward to a very action-packed, successful mission and everything is on track," stated Mike Moses, mission management team chair.
Although the team faced a number of odds and barriers from the start of the mission, they remained focused ensuring that every step is done with perfection.
“We’re ready,” said Lindsey in a statement. “ It’s been a long wait and we don’t feel antsy to fly ’cause we wanted to make sure everything’s done right before we do fly but, having said all that, we’ve trained for a while; the mission’s stayed the same for awhile; we’re ready to go fly.”
In the picture: The space shuttle Discovery as seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.
NASA/handout.Scheduled to last for a total of 11 days, each day of the mission is characterized by specific tasks and goals. It is on Day 6 that the crew will focus on the installation of the PMM which will carry 14 racks to the International Space Station.
Among the items tucked away inside the PMM, is Robonaut 2, known as R2. Although it’s primary job is demonstrating to engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, through future upgrades and advancements, officials hope that it could one day venture outside the station to help spacewalkers make repairs or additions to the station or perform scientific work.
In the picture: The space shuttle Discovery as seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.
NASA/handout.Serving as a symbol of American pride and leadership in human spaceflight, Discovery history goes beyond this unique mission.
This was the shuttle which carried the Hubble Space Telescope into space during mission STS-31 in April 1990, and provided both the second and third Hubble servicing missions.
During its many successful trips to space, Discovery has carried satellites aloft, ferried modules and crew to the International Space Station, and provided the setting for countless scientific experiments.
The shuttle has also the distinction of being chosen as the “Return to Flight” orbiter twice. It is this endless list of achievements and discoveries that makes the orbiter unique among the many others launched.
In the picture: The space shuttle Discovery as seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.
NASA/handout.As the world awaits the launch of the mission, Commander Lindsey states that "We're wrapping up the Space Shuttle Program. Besides the excitement of completing the International Space Station and all the things we do, I hope people get a sense of the history of what the shuttle is and what we've done and what's ending because they'll probably never see anything like it flying again.”
In the picture: The space shuttle Discovery as seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.
NASA/handout.
