THE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT BLOG: From the Space Shuttle to Beyond

Friday, March 9, 2012

Space shuttle Discovery is rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for temporary storage on March 9, 2012.

NASA / Jim Grossmann

Discovery: Officially Ready for Retirement… Earlier this morning, NASA's veteran shuttle Discovery was rolled out of Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF)-1 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida for the final time. Her next destination was the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where Discovery will stay for more than a month or so before being prepped and flown (via a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) to the Udvar-Hazy Center, Discovery's final home, in Virginia on April 17. Taking up residence in OPF-1 now is Atlantis, which was in storage inside the VAB for more than a month before today's shuttle swap. Atlantis will continue her transition and retirement operations inside the processing hangar...prior to being transported (via side streets) to her final home, the KSC Visitor Complex, as early as this November or as late as February of next year. Either way, the day will come when America's Spaceport no longer has historic winged spaceships on its main premises.

Space shuttle Discovery is rolled out of Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF)-1 on March 9, 2012, after her transition and retirement operations were completed.

Space shuttle Discovery is rolled out of Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF)-1 on March 9, 2012, after her transition and retirement operations were completed.

NASA / Jim Grossmann

Space shuttle Discovery is about to come head-to-head with sister ship Atlantis after she was rolled out of the VAB on March 9, 2012.