Space Shuttle Discovery Totally Explained

Everything about Space Shuttle Discovery totally explained

Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA, the space agency of the United States. (The other two are Atlantis and Endeavour.) When first flown in 1984, Discovery became the third operational orbiter, and is now the oldest orbiter in service. Discovery has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.

History

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 2010. 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 United States Department of Defense gone ahead, Discovery would have flown these missions.

Current status

Discovery is currently at Launch Pad 39A in preparation for launch on STS-124, a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Flight Readiness Review meeting for STS-124 is scheduled for Monday, May 19. The launch is expected to take place on May 31.

Flights

Space Shuttle Discovery has flown 34 flights, spent 296.84 days in space, completed 3,808 orbits, and flown 98,710,673 statute miles (158,859,429 km) in total, as of November 2007. It has flown the most flights of all Space Shuttles so far (a title it's 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 all three "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters: STS-26 in 1988, STS-114 in 2005, and STS-121 in 2006.

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 launched 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-121: First Shuttle launch on the 4th of July Holiday, Return to Flight mission.
STS-116: First night time launch of a shuttle since the Columbia disaster. Last Shuttle launch from LC-39B
STS-120: Longest mission so far for this space shuttle.

Flights listing

#	Date	Designation	Notes	Length of journey
1	1984 August 30	STS-41-D	First Discovery mission: Launched two communications satellites, including LEASAT F2.	6 days, 00 hours, 56 minutes, 04 seconds
2	1984 November 8	STS-51-A	Launched two and rescued two communications satellites including LEASAT F1.	7 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds
3	1985 January 24	STS-51-C	Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.	3 days, 01 hours, 33 minutes, 23 seconds
4	1985 April 12	STS-51-D	Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F3.	6 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds
5	1985 June 17	STS-51-G	Launched two communications satellites, Sultan Salman al-Saud becomes first Saudi Arabian in space.	7 days, 01 hours, 38 minutes, 52 seconds
6	1985 August 27	STS-51-I	Launched two communications satellites including LEASAT F4. Recovered LEASAT F3.	7 days, 02 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds
7	1988 September 29	STS-26	Return to flight since Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, launched TDRS.	4 days, 01 hours, 00 minutes, 11 seconds
8	1989 March 13	STS-29	Launched TDRS.	4 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes, 52 seconds
9	1989 November 22	STS-33	Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite.	5 days, 00 hours, 06 minutes, 49 seconds
10	1990 April 24	STS-31	Launch of Hubble Space Telescope (HST).	5 days, 01 hours, 16 minutes, 06 seconds
11	1990 October 6	STS-41	Launch of Ulysses.	4 days, 02 hours, 10 minutes, 04 seconds
12	1991 April 28	STS-39	Launched DOD Air Force Program-675 (AFP675) satellite.	8 days, 07 hours, 22 minutes, 23 seconds
13	1991 September 12	STS-48	Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).	5 days, 08 hours, 27 minutes, 38 seconds
14	1992 January 22	STS-42	International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1).	8 days, 01 hours, 14 minutes, 44 seconds.
15	1992 December 2	STS-53	Department of Defense payload.	7 days, 07 hours, 19 minutes, 47 seconds
16	1993 April 8	STS-56	Atmospheric Laboratory (ATLAS-2).	9 days, 06 hours, 08 minutes, 24 seconds
17	1993 September 12	STS-51	Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).	9 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes, 11 seconds
18	1994 February 3	STS-60	Wake Shield Facility (WSF).	7 days, 06 hours, 08 minutes, 36 seconds
19	1994 September 9	STS-64	LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE).	10 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds
20	1995 February 3	STS-63	Rendezvous with Mir space station.	8 days, 06 hours, 29 minutes, 36 seconds
21	1995 July 13	STS-70	7th Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS).	8 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, 05 seconds
22	1997 February 11	STS-82	Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (HSM-2).	9 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes, 09 seconds
23	1997 August 7	STS-85	Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes.	11 days, 20 hours, 28 minutes, 07 seconds
24	1998 June 2	STS-91	Final Shuttle/Mir Docking Mission.	9 days, 19 hours, 55 minutes, 01 seconds
25	1998 October 29	STS-95	SPACEHAB, second flight of John Glenn, Pedro Duque becomes first Spaniard in space.	8 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds
26	1999 May 27	STS-96	Resupply mission for the International Space Station.	9 days, 19 hours, 13 minutes, 57 seconds
27	1999 December 19	STS-103	Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (HSM-3A).	7 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes, 34 seconds
28	2000 October 11	STS-92	International Space Station Assembly Flight (carried and assembled the Z1 truss); 100th Shuttle mission.	12 days, 21 hours, 43 minutes, 47 seconds
29	2001 March 8	STS-102	International Space Station crew rotation flight (Expedition 1 and Expedition 2)	12 days, 19 hours, 51 minutes, 57 seconds
30	2001 August 10	STS-105	International Space Station crew and supplies delivery (Expedition 2 and Expedition 3)	11 days 21 hours, 13 minutes,52 seconds
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.	13 days, 21 hours, 33 minutes, 00 seconds
32	2006 July 4	STS-121	Return to flight since Space Shuttle Columbia disiaster; International Space Station crew and supplies delivery.	12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes, 54 seconds
33	2006 December 9	STS-116	International Space Station crew rotation and assembly (carries and assembles the P5 truss segment); Last flight to launch on pad 39-B; First night launch since Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.	12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes, 16 seconds
34	2007 October 23	STS-120	International Space Station crew rotation and assembly (carries and assembles the Harmony module).	15 days, 02 hours, 23 minutes, 55 seconds*
35	NET 2008 May 31	STS-124	Planned International Space Station crew rotation and assembly (carries and assembles the Kibō JEM PM module).

* Longest shuttle mission for Discovery.Decommissioning of Space Shuttle Discovery According to the current schedule, Space Shuttle Discovery will be decommissioned in 2010. If the Contingency Logistic Flight STS-133 by Endeavour isn't 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.

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