Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a NASA Space Shuttle.
First flown on August 30, 1984, Discovery is the third operational space shuttle, and the oldest remaining in service. She has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
The spacecraft takes her name from previous ships of exploration named Discovery, primarily HMS Discovery, the sailing ship that accompanied famous explorer James Cook on his third and final major voyage. Others include Henry Hudson's ship Discovery which he used in 1610–1611 to search for a Northwest Passage, and RRS Discovery, a vessel used for expeditions to Antarctica in 1901-1904 by Scott and Shackleton (and still preserved as a museum). The shuttle shares a name with Discovery One, the spaceship from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Discovery was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope. The second and third Hubble Space Telescope service missions were also conducted by Discovery. She has also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites. Discovery has been chosen twice as the return to flight orbiter, first as the return to flight orbiter after the 1986 Challenger disaster in 1988, and as the orbiter for the return to flight mission in July 2005, after the 2003 Columbia disaster. Discovery also carried Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 at the time, back into space during STS-95 on October 29, 1998, making him the oldest human being to venture into space.
STS-114 mission
Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-114 lands safely on August 9, 2005.
On July 26, 2005 at 10:39 EDT, Discovery launched into space on mission STS-114, marking the first shuttle launch since the February 2003 Columbia Disaster. Videos taken during the minutes after the launch revealed that a piece of foam insulation came off Discovery's external fuel tank, although it apparently did not damage the shuttle. After the problem was discovered, NASA suspended all future launches until the problem is solved. During the mission astronauts repaired the suspected damaged spot on an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA).
Discovery was set to return on August 7, 2005, but their mission was extended due to unfavorable weather conditions. The shuttle returned from orbit on August 9, 2005, landing in darkness at 8:12 AM EDT just before dawn at Edwards Air Force Base after travelling 5.8 million miles.
Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10 AM, Monday, August 22. Discovery was flown from Edwards Air Force Base using one of NASA Boeing 747 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. After landing, Discovery was lifted off the back of the 747 and then towed to the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility marking the end of STS-114. Here, Discovery will be emptied of its cargo from the International Space Station and will be readied for the next shuttle mission: STS-121.
STS-121 mission (scheduled for July 2006)
The STS-121 crew: From the left are Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, Michael Fossum, both mission specialists; Steve Lindsey, commander; Piers Sellers, mission specialist; Mark Kelly, pilot; and Lisa M. Nowak, mission specialist. Not shown, European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter.
STS-121 is the second Return to Flight Testing after the Columbia accident in 2003. At first, the space shuttle Atlantis was selected for this mission, but after the external tank foam loss issues with STS-114, the launch has been delayed to July 2006, enabling NASA to select Discovery for STS-121. STS-121 will also continue the demonstration of heat shield repair techniques. STS-121 will visit the International Space Station with additional supplies using the Italian built Leonardo multi purpose logistics module. With sufficient supplies, the ISS will be able to accommodate a third astronaut. German European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter will join NASA commander William McArthur and Russian Valeri Tokarev, making the ISS truly international again.
Flights
Rollout of the orbiter
Discovery, 1998 (NASA)
Space Shuttle Discovery has flown 31 flights, spent 241.95 days in space, completed 3,808 orbits, and flown 98,710,673 miles (158,859,429 km) in total, as of July 2005.
Discovery is set for retirement in 2010.
Notable missions
Decommissioning of Space Shuttle Discovery
- According to NASA, Space Shuttle Discovery will be decommissioned in 2010. NASA expects to have a reusable launch vehicle by 2014.
See also
External links
