Fanfare Precedes Space Shuttle Discovery's Smithsonian Trip
Friday, April 13, 2012
By: Nicole Creston

The space shuttle Discovery will be the first of the retired orbiters to leave Kennedy Space Center for museum life. Discovery's send-off begins Saturday, with tributes and special events leading up to the shuttle's final departure.

[Image: Discovery during rollout for a previous mission. The shuttle program ended in 2011.]

This weekend is the public's last chance to see Discovery at its Kennedy Space Center home. A special KSC tour will take visitors past the Shuttle Landing Facility, where Discovery now sits atop a Boeing 747 jumbo jet ready for its Tuesday take-off.

On Monday, astronauts from Discovery's last mission will be in attendance for speeches from NASA administrators and final goodbyes to the orbiter. KSC visitors can even have a seat at the astronauts' lunch table...for a special ticket price.

Discovery was NASA’s shuttle fleet leader, with 365 days in space and almost 150 million miles traveled. Its final landing will be at the Smithsonian next week.