How a modified 747 delivered a space legend to its permanent home
In short: Watch the spectacular arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery as it flies over Washington, D.C. This footage captures the moment NASA's longest-serving crewed spacecraft transitioned from active explorer to a permanent museum icon.
On April 17, 2012, the Space Shuttle Discovery began its final journey from Kennedy Space Center to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center. Mounted atop a modified Boeing 747, the orbiter performed a historic flyover of the National Mall before landing at Dulles International Airport.
The arrival concluded with a formal ceremony on April 19, 2012, attended by more than two dozen astronauts, including fifteen of Discovery's thirty-two commanders. The event marked the official handover of the shuttle, which completed 39 missions, orbited Earth 5,830 times, and traveled over 148 million miles between 1984 and 2011.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Space Shuttle Discovery Delivered to the Smithsonian
- Also: Space Shuttle Discovery Enters Smithsonian for Museum Display
- Also: Space Shuttle Discovery Arrives at the Smithsonian | National Portrait Gallery
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