The Space Shuttle Discovery flew every kind of mission an orbiter was meant to fly. As a historical object in the Museum's collection, it embodies the 30-year history of U.S. human spaceflight from 1981 to 2011, the era of the Space Shuttle program. 

Jump to:     Learn the Basics     Meet the Astronauts     Tour Discovery Online     Discovery at the Museum     More Stories About Discovery

What was the Space Shuttle Program?

The Space Shuttle program ran from presidential approval in 1972 to its end in 2011. It was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the United States and NASA. The Space Shuttle, officially known as the Space Transportation System (STS), was the first reusable spacecraft to carry humans into orbit. 

Visit the Space Shuttle Program Topic Page

On Display at the Udvar-Hazy Center

Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery is an example of a Space Shuttle orbiter, a component of NASA’s Space Transportation System (STS). The STS consisted of a combination of a Space Shuttle orbiter, solid rocket boosters, and a fuel tank. Discovery was the third Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle to fly in space. It entered service in 1984 and retired from spaceflight in 2011 as the oldest and most accomplished orbiter. 

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Discovery by the Numbers

The longest serving orbiter, Discovery has some impressive statistics. Discovery flew every type of mission the orbiters were intended to carry out. Its crews made major contributions to history through these missions including:     

  • Deploying and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope
  • 2 flights to the Russian space station Mir, including the final docking in 1998
  • 13 flights to the International Space Station, including the first docking in 1999
  • 9 flights with science labs, instruments, and loads as the main payloads
  • 8 communications satellites deliveries
  • 4 Department of Defense flights 
39

The number of missions Discovery carried out, more than any other space shuttle orbiter.
365

The total number of days Discovery spent in space.
150,000,000

The total number of miles Discovery flew in space (240 million kilometers).
184

The total number of people that flew aboard Discovery. Many flew more than once, for a total crew count of 251.

Getting Started

Space Shuttle Discovery's Maiden Voyage

The Long Road to the First Launch

It took four trips to the launch pad to launch Discovery for the first time.

Top view of a satellite acting as payload on a Space Shuttle mission. The satellite has a large, circular top that looks like a dish with an antenna folded above the top.

Discovery's First Mission

On the first mission, the crew of the Discovery delivered three satellites while also demonstrating how the shuttle could serve as more than a delivery vehicle. 

Meet the Crew Members

Over 250 crew members flew aboard Discovery. Many were history-makers before coming aboard, others made history on Discovery, some did both. Meet some of the astronauts who flew aboard Discovery below.

Henry W. “Hank” Hartsfield, Jr.

Henry W. Hartsfield Jr.

STS-41D

Dale Allan Gardner

Dale A. Gardner

STS-51A

A man smiles at the camera. There is an American flag in the background.

Ellison Onizuka

STS-51C

Steven R. Nagel

Steven R. Nagel

STS-51G

Astronaut portrait of Joe Engle.

Joe Engle

STS-51

Portrait of Frederick Gregory, a middle aged African American man in a NASA flight suit.

Frederick Gregory

STS-33

A man floats through two space suits aboard the Space Shuttle.

Charles Bolden

STS-31, STS-60

A portrait of NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II,

Bruce McCandless II

STS-31

Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, a white female astronaut, poses formally in astronaut gear for her official portrait.

Kathryn Sullivan

STS-31

Astronaut portrait of Guy Bluford.

Guy Bluford

STS-39, STS-58

Portrait of NASA Astronaut Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa

STS-56, STS-96

An astronaut holding a helmet in his hand and wearing a bright colored spacesuit smiles for a portrait.

Franklin Chang-Díaz

STS-60, STS-91

<i>Eileen Collins</i> in NASA | Art

Eileen Collins

STS-63, STS-114

Glenn Photographs from Flight Deck

John Glenn

STS-95

A portrait of astronaut Michael López-Alegría in a white space suit, holding his helmet under his left arm. The suit features various patches, including a NASA emblem, an American flag, and mission insignia. An American flag is visible in the background.

Michael López-Alegría

STS-92

Astronaut Pam Melroy floats in zero gravity in the International Space Station

Pamela Melroy

STS-92, STS-120

A portrait of a man in front of the american flag and a model of the space shuttle. He wears an orange astronaut suit and has an astronaut helmet in his hand.

Alan Poindexter

STS-131

NASA astronaut Alvin Drew, mission specialist.

Alvin Drew

STS-133

Discovery's Final Launch

This NASA video captures Discovery's final launch on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station in 2011.

Tour Discovery Online

Take a Closer Look at Discovery's Exterior

Explore a 3D scan of the Space Shuttle Discovery. To begin a guided tour of the 3D scan, click the globe icon in the top left of the 3D scan interface, or explore on your own!

 Learn About the Process of 3D Scanning  Discovery

Take a Closer Look at Discovery's Interior

Curator Dr. Jennifer Levasseur takes us on a tour inside of Space Shuttle Discovery, on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Discovery at the Museum

In 2012, Discovery took to the sky one final time—this time atop the modified NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). It's destination? The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, where Discovery is now on permanent display. 

Discovery's Arrival at the Museum

Before its arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport, Discovery was flown over large crowds in Washington, DC. After being offloaded from the SCA, it was pulled to the Udvar-Hazy Center for a nose-to-nose meeting with Space Shuttle Enterprise. In this video, watch as Discovery flies over the National Mall on April 17, 2012. 

The Space Shuttle Discovery flies over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC.

Flying Into Washington, D.C.

The Space Shuttles Enterprise and Discovery are placed side by side on the tarmac near the Udvar-Hazy Center.

Nose to Nose: When Enterprise Met Discovery

Caring for Discovery

Curator sits inside an empty bay inside of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Being Discovery’s Curator

Dennis Jenkins stands in front of space shuttle Discovery—smiling, with his arms folded, and wearing a blue shirt. An American flag is hanging from the ceiling behind Discovery.

Overseeing the Transition from Spacecraft to Museum Artifact

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A close-up view of the cockpit windows of a space shuttle, highlighting the thermal protection tiles around the windows designed to withstand extreme temperatures during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

What Makes Discovery Unique

Space Shuttle <em>Discovery</em>

5 Unusual Facts About Space Shuttle Discovery

Whiteboard at the Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle: The End of An Era

Sunita Williams, an astronaut, emerges through a hatch on the Space Shuttle into a room full of technical equipment. She's smiling.

More Ways to Explore Discovery

Inverted Space Shuttle Discovery orbits Earth
Topic

Space Shuttle Program

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