Keith’s note: Sources report that NASA has selected JPL’s InSight mission to drill on Mars. Given that this is based on Mars Phoenix which, in turn, heavily utilized Mars Polar Lander designs, you can rest assured that NASA will never be able to tell you how much this mission really cost or how much was “saved” by using existing designs. – JPL’s InSight: Ignoring The Real Costs – and its […]

NASA transferred space shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum during a ceremony Thursday, April 19, at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

How We Nearly Lost Discovery, Wayne Hale “Now that Discovery is safely delivered to the Smithsonian, I think I can tell the story of how we nearly lost her in July of 2005, and how well intentioned, highly motivated, hard working, smart people can miss the most obvious. … So were we stupid? Yes. Can you learn from our mistake? I hope so.”

Space Shuttle Discovery arrived at her new home today – the National Air and Space Museum at the Udvar-Hazy Center, adjacent to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC. While the news of her arrival had been circulated here in Washington for some time, it would seem that many people made their decision to see her arrive at the last minute.

Photo: Space Shuttle Orbiters “Discovery” and “Endeavour” Space Shuttle Orbiters “Discovery” and “Endeavour” at Kennedy Space Center this morning adjacent to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Atlantis: The Grand Finale Photo Special at Launch Pad 39A Part 2, Ken Kremer, SpaceRef “It was both relentlessly breathtaking and surreal to find oneself at a historic crossroads – looking skywards from directly beneath the wings of the very last shuttle orbiter that will soon be orbiting Earth some two hundred miles overhead. NASA’s Space Shuttle’s are the most complex and magnificent machine built by humans, constructed with over […]

Space Shuttle Discovery Returns From Space For The Last Time “At 11:57 a.m. EST, space shuttle Discovery landed for the final time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after 202 orbits around Earth and a journey of 5,304,140 miles on STS-133. Discovery’s main gear touched down at 11:57:17 a.m. followed by the nose gear at 11:57:28 and wheels stop at 11:58:14 a.m. At wheels stop, the mission elapsed time was 12 […]

“Rise to the edge of space, freefall for 50,000 feet, fly through clouds, and land gently in bushes” Educational Balloon Provides Space Shuttle Launch Images and Video From Over 110,000 feet “A balloon with a student-oriented payload shot high resolution photos and video from an altitude of over 110,000 feet of Space Shuttle Discovery as it climbed into space.”

NASA STS-133 Report #22 Monday, March 7, 2011 – 2:30 a.m. CST Space shuttle Discovery’s crew started its last day at the International Space Station with a special wake up call. The “Theme from Star Trek,” performed by Alexander Courage, served as the wake up music for Discovery’s crew at 2:23 a.m. It received the second most public votes from a Top 40 list in a Space Shuttle Program-sponsored song […]

If you can, watch this video in HD (select the 720p option). As the payload slowly rotates you will see Discovery’s vapor trail at the Earth’s limb – twice. The payload (with camera) first swings to the west and then reverses and swings back to the east, past Discovery’s vapor trail, around to the west again, and then continues to rotate to the east toward the vapor trail again. Educational […]