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
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
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
Wednesday 24
1968: Discovery of first pulsar announced
1969: Mariner 6 launched
2007: Rosetta spacecraft flies by Mars
2011: STS-133 Discovery launched
Thursday 25
Friday 26
Moon at apogee
1842: Camille Flammarion born
1966: First Saturn 1B rocket launched
Saturday 27
1897: Bernard Lyot born
1970: HL-10 sets lifting body altitude record of 90,300 feet
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