SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

'Space Shuttle ''Discovery''' (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of three spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with ''Atlantis'' and ''Endeavour''. First flown in 1984, ''Discovery'' is the third operational Space Shuttle and the oldest shuttle in service. ''Discovery'' has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
The spacecraft takes its 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 fictional Jupiter spaceship from the films '' and ''.
''Discovery'' was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope. The second and third Hubble 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 in 1988 as the return to flight orbiter after the 1986 ''Challenger'' disaster, and then for the twin return to flight missions in July 2005 and July 2006 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.
Had the planned missions from Vandenberg Air Force Base for the DOD gone ahead, Discovery would have flown these missions.
Discovery is currently in Orbiter Processing Facility #3 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its main engines have been reinstalled and its boosters have been stacked in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building for its next flight, STS-120; which is tenatively scheduled for October 23, 2007.

Contents

Flights

Notable missions

Flights listing

Aging

Decommissioning of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''

See also

External links

Flights

Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' has flown 33 flights, spent 241.95 days in space, completed 3,808 orbits, and flown 98,710,673 statute miles (158,859,429 km) in total, as of December 2006. It has flown the most flights of all Space Shuttles so far (a title it is likely to keep). ''Discovery'' has also flown on more individual flights than any other spacecraft in history and is likely to retain this honor for some time as no planned launch vehicles (neither American nor International) have a designed lifespan of more than 10 flights. ''Discovery'' has flown both "return to flight" missions after the ''Challenger'' and ''Columbia'' disasters: STS-26 in 1988 and STS-114 in 2005.

Notable missions

★ STS-41-D: First flight

★ STS-51-D: Carried first sitting United States Member of Congress into space, Senator Jake Garn (R-UT)

★ STS-26: Return to space after ''Challenger'' disaster (STS-51-L)

★ STS-31: Launch of Hubble Space Telescope

★ STS-60: First Russian in an American spacecraft, Sergei Krikalyov

★ STS-95: Second flight of John Glenn, oldest man in space and third sitting Member of Congress to enter space.

★ STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle Mission

★ STS-114: Return to space after ''Columbia'' disaster (STS-107)

★ STS-116: First night time launch of a shuttle since the ''Columbia'' disaster.

★ STS-121:First Shuttle launch on the 4th of July Holiday

Flights listing

#	Date	Designation	Notes
1	1984 August 30	STS-41-D	First Discovery mission: Launched two communications satellites, including LEASAT F2.
2	1984 November 8	STS-51-A	Launched two and rescued two communications satellites including LEASAT F1.
3	1985 January 24	STS-51-C	Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.
4	1985 April 12	STS-51-D	Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F3.
5	1985 June 17	STS-51-G	Launched two communications satellites, Sultan Salman al-Saud becomes first Saudi Arabian in space.
6	1985 August 27	STS-51-I	Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F4. Recovered LEASAT F3.
7	1988 September 29	STS-26	Return to flight since Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, launched TDRS.
8	1989 March 13	STS-29	Launched TDRS.
9	1989 November 22	STS-33	Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.
10	1990 April 24	STS-31	Launch of Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
11	1990 October 6	STS-41	Launch of Ulysses.
12	1991 April 28	STS-39	Launched DOD Air Force Program-675 (AFP675) satellite.
13	1991 September 12	STS-48	Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).
14	1992 January 22	STS-42	International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1).
15	1992 December 2	STS-53	Department of Defense payload.
16	1993 April 8	STS-56	Atmospheric Laboratory (ATLAS-2).
17	1993 September 12	STS-51	Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).
18	1994 February 3	STS-60	Wake Shield Facility (WSF).
19	1994 September 9	STS-64	LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE).
20	1995 February 3	STS-63	Rendezvous with Mir space station.
21	1995 July 13	STS-70	7th Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS).
22	1997 February 11	STS-82	Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (HSM-2).
23	1997 August 7	STS-85	Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes.
24	1998 June 2	STS-91	Final Shuttle/Mir Docking Mission.
25	1998 October 29	STS-95	SPACEHAB, second flight of John Glenn, Pedro Duque becomes first Spaniard in space.
26	1999 May 27	STS-96	Resupply mission for the International Space Station.
27	1999 December 19	STS-103	Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (HSM-3A).
28	2000 October 11	STS-92	International Space Station Assembly Flight (carried and assembled the Z1 truss); 100th Shuttle mission.
29	2001 March 8	STS-102	International Space Station crew rotation flight (Expedition 1 and Expedition 2)
30	2001 August 10	STS-105	International Space Station crew and supplies delivery (Expedition 2 and Expedition 3)
31	2005 July 26	STS-114	Return to flight since Space Shuttle Columbia disaster; International Space Station supplies delivery, new safety procedures testing and evaluation.
32	2006 July 4	STS-121	International Space Station crew and supplies delivery.
33	2006 December 9	STS-116	International Space Station crew rotation and assembly (carries and assembles the P5 truss segment).
34	NET 2007 October 20	STS-120	Planned International Space Station crew rotation and assembly (carries and assembles the Harmony module).

Aging

It is possible, but not yet confirmed by NASA, that ''Discovery'', in contrast to ''Endeavour'', is having the same aging problems as ''Atlantis''.

Decommissioning of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''

★ According to NASA, Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' will be decommissioned in 2010. If the Contingency Logistic Flight STS-133 by Endeavour will not be flown, ''Discovery'' will be the last Space Shuttle to fly on mission STS-132. NASA expects to launch the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle on the new Ares I rocket by 2014.

See also

★ List of space shuttle missions

External links

★ Return to Flight mission STS-114 and STS-121

★ Shuttle Orbiter ''Discovery'' (OV-103)

★ Night Launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery

★ Discovery on Servicing Mission 2 at ESA/Hubble site

★ Discovery on Servicing Mission 3A at ESA/Hubble site

★ Pictures of preparations for a launch of ''Discovery''

★ 04/16/07: Consolidated Launch Manifest: Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence.