Space Shuttle Discovery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids DiscoveryOV-103 |
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Discovery in orbit in 2011, during STS-133
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| OV designation | OV-103 |
| Country | United States |
| Contract award | January 29, 1979 |
| Named after | Discovery (1602), HMS Discovery (1774), HMS Discovery (1874), RRS Discovery (1901) |
| Status | Retired, on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia |
| First flight | STS-41-D August 30, 1984 – September 5, 1984 |
| Last flight | STS-133 February 24, 2011 – March 9, 2011 |
| No. of missions | 39 |
| Crew members | 252 |
| Time spent in space | 1 year (365 days), 22 hours, 39 minutes, 33 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 148,221,675 mi (238,539,663 km) |
| Satellites deployed | 31 (including Hubble Space Telescope) |
| Mir dockings | 1 |
| ISS dockings | 13 |
Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. Like other shuttles, the shuttle has three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter, a central fuel tank, and two rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat resistant tiles cover the orbiter to protect it from high temperatures on re-entry.
Discovery became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by Columbia and Challenger. It embarked on its last mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011 and touched down for the final time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, having spent a cumulative total of almost a full year in space. Discovery performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions, and also carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.
Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour and then Atlantis. The shuttle is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.
Gallery
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The first launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
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The rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery
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The tail cone being attached to Space Shuttle Discovery
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Discovery on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
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Discovery seen from the Cupola
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Discovery after landing
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Discovery doing backflip
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Tribute and mission insignas
| NASA Orbiter Tribute for Space Shuttle Discovery | |||||||
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| Mission insignia for Discovery flights | |||||||
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Images for kids
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Discovery and SCA 905 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, 6 Nov 1983
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On the maiden voyage of Discovery: Judith Resnik, Henry Hartsfield, Michael L. Coats, Steven A. Hawley, Charles D. Walker, and Richard M. Mullane
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Discovery after booster separation.
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The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), one of the many satellites deployed from Discovery.
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NASA Orbiter Tribute for Space Shuttle Discovery
See also
In Spanish: Transbordador espacial Discovery para niños
