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Gallery: Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery

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April 16, 2012
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  1. This is the flight deck of the space shuttle Discovery during her decommissioning process in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). Several components are missing as part of that process including panels of switches, closed circuit TV (CCTV) screens, and storage lockers. During flight, the commander sat in the seat on...

  2. The space shuttle's mid-deck was a multipurpose area. Astronauts slept here, food was stored and prepared, scientific research was carried out, and the toilet utilized. It provided crew module access on the ground through the main hatch and in space through the airlock to the payload bay and International Space Station...

  3. When a space shuttle is mated to a shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA) for transport between space centers, a tail cone is installed over its main engines. This reduces both drag and turbulence created by the piggy-backing spacecraft while also protecting the engines. Discovery's final tail cone was installed in the Orbiter...

  4. At 15 feet (4.5 meters) wide and 60 feet (18 meters) long, the payload bay of Discovery carried cargo to and from space. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched to space from here, as were several pieces of the International Space Station (ISS). Payloads were usually loaded while the shuttle was vertical on the launch...

  5. The underside of a space shuttle is covered with about 24,300 unique silica tiles that have to be individually fitted onto the vehicle. Though extremely fragile, they sufficiently protected the aluminum frame of the spacecraft from the searing heat of reentry. The landing gear remained tucked behind the protective hea...