Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Space Shuttle Discovery
Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a NASA Space Shuttle.
First flown on August 30, 1984, Discovery is the third operational shuttle (excluding test shuttle Enterprise), and the oldest remaining in service. The orbiter is still operational today, and has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
The craft takes its name from HMS Discovery, a ship that accompanied explorer James Cook on his third and final major voyage. Unofficially, the shuttle is named after Discovery , the spaceship from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Discovery was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope, and two of its three service missions were conducted from it. It has also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites. It was the first shuttle used in the return to space after the Challenger Disaster, and is scheduled to be the first shuttle used in the return to space after the Columbia Disaster, tentatively scheduled for May 2005.
| Contents |
Flights
Space Shuttle Discovery has flown 30 flights, spent 241.95-days in space, completed 3,808 orbits, and flown 98,710,673 miles in total, as of February 2003.
Notable missions
STS-41-D: First Flight
STS-26: Return to space after Challenger disaster
STS-114 (Spring 2005): Return to space after STS-107 (Columbia disaster)
| Date | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 August 30 | STS-41-D | Launched two communications satellites |
| 1984 November 8 | STS-51-A | Launched two and rescued two communications satellites |
| 1985 January 24 | STS-51-C | Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite |
| 1985 April 12 | STS-51-D | Launched two communications satellites |
| 1985 June 17 | STS-51-G | Launched two communications satellites |
| 1985 August 27 | STS-51-I | Launched three communications satellites |
| 1988 September 29 | STS-26 | Return to flight, launched TDRS |
| 1989 March 13 | STS-29 | Launched TDRS |
| 1989 November 22 | STS-33 | Launched DOD Magnum ELINT satellite |
| 1990 April 24 | STS-31 | Launch of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) |
| 1990 October 6 | STS-41 | Launch of Ulysses |
| 1991 April 28 | STS-39 | Launched DOD Air Force Program-675 (AFP675) satellite |
| 1991 September 12 | STS-48 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) |
| 1992 January 22 | STS-42 | International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) |
| 1992 December 2 | STS-53 | Department of Defense payload |
| 1993 April 8 | STS-56 | Atmospheric Laboratory (ATLAS-2) |
| 1993 September 12 | STS-51 | Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) |
| 1994 February 3 | STS-60 | Wake Shield Facility (WSF) |
| 1994 September 9 | STS-64 | LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) |
| 1995 February 3 | STS-63 | Rendezvous with Mir space station |
| 1995 July 13 | STS-70 | 7th Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) |
| 1997 February 11 | STS-82 | Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) |
| 1997 August 7 | STS-85 | Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes |
| 1998 June 2 | STS-91 | Final Shuttle/Mir Docking Mission |
| 1998 October 29 | STS-95 | Second flight of John Glenn |
| 1999 May 27 | STS-96 | Resupply mission for the International Space Station |
| 1999 December 19 | STS-103 | Servicing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) |
| 2000 October 11 | STS-92 | International Space Station Assembly Flight |
| 2001 March 8 | STS-102 | International Space Station crew rotation flight |
| 2001 August 10 | STS-105 | International Space Station crew and supplies delivery |
See also
External links
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