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February 22, 2016 - Discovery’s Final Flight

Discovery’s Final Flight Launched on the STS-133 mission five years ago this week, the Discovery orbiter is seen on approach to the International Space Station in a photo captured by an Expedition 26 crew member. Discovery’s payload bay doors are open and a portion of the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo is visible inside. Discovery transported Leonardo to the ISS for the eighth time during STS-133 when it was installed as a permanent addition, providing 70 cubic meters (2,472 cubic feet) of storage space. STS-133 was the thirty-fifth shuttle mission to the ISS as well as the final flight of Discovery. First flown in 1984 on the STS-41D mission, Discovery completed thirty-nine missions, including thirteen to the ISS, and orbited earth 5,830 times during its 365 days in space.

Image credit: NASA

Weekly Calendar

February 22 - 28, 2016

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

 

Moon phase Monday 22

Full Moon 1:20 PM ET

1966: Cosmos 110 launched, sets record for dogs in space (22 days)
1978: First Navstar GPS satellite launched
1996: STS-75 Columbia launched

Moon phase Tuesday 23

Jupiter 1.7° north of Moon

1987: Supernova 1987a explodes
1990: Pioneer 11 leaves solar system
1997: Flash fire in Mir Kvant module

Moon phase Wednesday 24

1968: Discovery of first pulsar announced
1969: Mariner 6 launched
2007Rosetta spacecraft flies by Mars
2011: STS-133 Discovery launched

Moon phase Thursday 25

Moon phase Friday 26

Moon at apogee

1842: Camille Flammarion born
1966: First Saturn 1B rocket launched

Moon phase Saturday 27

1897: Bernard Lyot born
1970: HL-10 sets lifting body altitude record of 90,300 feet

Moon phase Sunday 28

Neptune in conjunction with Sun

1959: Discoverer 1 launched
1966: Gemini IX primary crew, Bassett & See, killed in plane crash
1990: STS-36 Atlantis launched
2007: New Horizons spacecraft flies past Jupiter en route to Pluto

Suggestions for new history dates or better links? Corrections for errors on this page? Please e-mail me.