I searched around and didn't see a thread like this, which surprised me. So I'm making one. A bit over an hour ago, NASA's Discovery orbiter landed at it's final resting place after 28 years of dedicated service to mankind's exploration and education. It will be on permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy center in Chantilly, Virginia, near Dulles International Airport.
The main purpose of this thread, however, is about what happened before it landed. The orbiter, piggybacking on a modified Boeing 747, flew over the District of Columbia and neighboring areas several times, as part of this retirement ceremony. The city stopped working as crowds gathered on rooftops and across the National Mall to watch, photograph, and videotape these historic fly-overs.
Fortunately for me, the path of these trips took the orbiter almost directly over my apartment building. Even more fortunate is that my new DSLR arrived last night, just in time to snap up some history.
So lets all share some images and exchange some words about this old gal's final moments above the Earth, where she'll always belong. Here's to Discovery.
And lastly, one I touched up a bit:
The main purpose of this thread, however, is about what happened before it landed. The orbiter, piggybacking on a modified Boeing 747, flew over the District of Columbia and neighboring areas several times, as part of this retirement ceremony. The city stopped working as crowds gathered on rooftops and across the National Mall to watch, photograph, and videotape these historic fly-overs.
Fortunately for me, the path of these trips took the orbiter almost directly over my apartment building. Even more fortunate is that my new DSLR arrived last night, just in time to snap up some history.
So lets all share some images and exchange some words about this old gal's final moments above the Earth, where she'll always belong. Here's to Discovery.
And lastly, one I touched up a bit:
I've always wanted to go into space in one of the shuttles.