U.S. Space Shuttle "Discovery" at The Very Last Landing

The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is in its very last landing on the ground. Thus an era is ending. For after the return of the Space Shuttle from NASA after 27 years will go into "retirement." The "Discovery" will be considered in future in the museum, as the NASA space shuttles will weed out the final. Only a maximum of two U.S. shuttle flights scheduled to take place.

The last time the U.S. space shuttle "Discovery" in the past few days was in space. With its planned return to Earth on Wednesday evening a successful career is over. Of the three space shuttle, after the devastating disasters of the Challenger in 1986 and the "Columbia" in 2003 still exist, the "Discovery" at the longest in the service. The space shuttle first flew in 1984 and all completed more missions than the rest of the NASA shuttle fleet. 5600 times surrounded the "Discovery" the earth.

During her 27-year career, took the "Discovery" 180 people into space - including Eileen Collins, who in 1995 was the first shuttle pilot and commander in 1999 was the first to the lance for women in space. Also, the first African American space walker, Bernard Harris flew in 1995 aboard the "Discovery" in zero gravity. In 1985, Senator Jake Garn aboard, he was the first incumbent congressman in space.

Well-known research equipment had the "Discovery" on their missions board. The space shuttle brought first time in 1990 the space telescope Hubble into space, and put 1990 solar probe Ulysses "in the universe, the essential insights into the central star and collected in 2009 was taken out of service. The "Discovery" returned in 2008 parts of the Japanese laboratory Kibo to the ISS and in 1995 the first U.S. space shuttle, which flew to the Russian space station Mir.

Originally planned for November 2010 last flight had to be postponed because the external tank of the Discovery fine cracks had been discovered. On 24 February she finally broke on to the International Space Station ISS. The six crew members - five men and one woman - brought spare parts, a human-like robot and a new research and storage module to the ISS. In addition, members of her crew completed two field missions. "This has all the space shuttle system works for the whole mission extremely well," praised the leader of the Discovery mission, Leroy Cain, the end of last use.

After their return to earth to the "Discovery" is a museum piece. The U.S. space agency NASA is planning up to two more shuttle flights to the ISS: On 19 April is intended to launch the Endeavour into orbit on 28 June, the "Atlantis". After that U.S. astronauts will be on Russian rockets for transportation need to space.