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NASA's oldest and most traveled shuttle set to begin new life as museum piece
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Thank you grade him aren't -- really we cannot take your eyes off the screen so we're not going to we're gonna leave this picture -- because it's just astonishing to see what really is the final flight.
Where the discovery.
Not exactly the flight back -- to -- -- Earth's orbit but the flight to his final resting place.
At business -- and -- and you can see it -- -- if you will.
If you're just joining us on this 747 is Boeing's 747 and it doesn't look like it's -- by much -- -- that it has like these two.
-- looks like it's 22 -- that keeping it on on the top but that.
The top of that 747 I'm -- is a little bit more technical than two pipes at that but definitely looks like and it's just trying to.
Make its final landing into Dulles airport.
Held by just enough.
Because this is being taken out to this facility and where will be on display the first of three different shuttles.
To be on display at a museum as we take a look at these just amazing pictures.
The discovery soaring -- earlier this morning over the Washington monument over the White House.
Over the capitol building a little bit of sightseeing tour.
Where the -- wait and see every day through on that that is the truth and discovery is -- -- -- as far.
Well as as most of us as and I shuttle that's made so many different trips up to space 39 trips -- actually the most traveled shuttle.
That was part of the -- the oldest one is well it is going to land today Tuesday is gonna make it's -- Smithsonian.
By Thursday.
It's got its name by the way from four British exploring ships all named discoveries so the ships once explored.
The great unknown -- RC and the discovery really explore the great unknown of our skies.
Discovery's trip this morning began at daybreak get Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
About 2000 people came out to see it take off former shuttle workers set tourists of course journalists and other dignitaries who gathered along the old shuttle landing strip.
To watch discovery take off.
For Washington DC actually I believe it's Northern Virginia where the Smithsonian is based -- where this shuttle will now be.
-- the -- -- Callaway has been watching this along with -- he joins us over the phone it's quite a sight to see done.
It really is and we're standing out here on the runway at that Dulles international airport they've buried a lot of -- series of the photographers and reporters out of three separate mobile loud is that they all the people movers at -- Right onto the runway at that -- please don't venture any part that that where you are right now.
And now I'm looking out the window when people to work as well destroyed now what get a win a battle the wind noise that BP approach the 747.
And that -- what believe this is that final approach is built of this call.
And it's hard to tell -- it's -- -- bit of a plot by this point four the actual landing.
I've -- want to get a lot of planes landed on the chart clearly a bit of wind is blowing really hard out here and those planes have been bopping and weaving.
I suspect.
That that there's a huge airplane the 747 with a double profit will probably not be as buffeted as some other ball of play that that.
But it could be that the Atlantic and all that subject you know I've I was speaking to but not the folks about.
The modifications that have been made that the -- of 47.
To accommodate the shuttle -- shuttle even what it's deprived of all fuel weighs about 200.
On course to be a hundred do -- a thousand pound.
And this would removed all here but wait a little bit less than about a hundred.
75000.
Pounds but -- huge -- edit that changes the center of gravity.
All this 747 they've had a nickel kind of Arafat -- modifications to it and you could see that if you look at the -- structure of the 747 that -- The single bit of the back is removed there's two separate bids on either side.
-- common in this way it looks like it's probably.
Gonna make a landing this time around.
And later today you'll be very to a different part of the runway it will be a big big feet made it the from the 747 and we'll go on display it almost.
Right away Thursday after.
Ceremony at that would bar are the -- -- -- the -- -- -- bedfellows.
If you -- you.
Apparently that's never been out here into the air and space museum annex it's really something to see -- -- a large part because they're just so much bigger.
In the air and space museum one of the world's most visited museums -- down -- blocked because so it's able to accommodate much larger aircraft you have that's.
The you know it gave it.
-- did drop the first atomic bomb you have to Concord.
You have to have arsenal they were -- the world's fastest airplane and now -- the shuttle discovery will be joining the ranks of those that's been big aircraft.
Looks like it's coming -- on final approach right now.
-- decided to take and -- an it 200000.
Pounds.
Is a dentist told us that is the -- and the discovery that sitting right on top of that 747 if you just joining us.
Can listen in here a little better -- let's go ahead and listen in and just particular shot one under.
There's an issue -- America.
For the -- -- and about one.
My please let me hold digital.
After the north.
-- football.
-- didn't get much prettier than that I don't know what a picture literally land land that you gotta give that -- credit.
Robin and expect to do that when he started his career as a pilot to fly in the discovery of the first mission by the discovery the shuttle sitting right on top of that plane was in 1984 and send to think about as we're now in -- when he twelve and that shuttle is being retired.
And to the Smithsonian for us -- to be able to enjoy that really marks an interesting -- If you will in our space program in this space program ahead Doug here live with this still what's the reaction on the ground there.
I'll bet all eyes are riveted on that as it passed -- Maybe a little more than a hundred yards from where we now stand it was a I'd just been -- -- political -- it was like watching a tennis match at a crack if you -- I don't moving -- -- directed.
That's what it was like here in it did describe it -- what really impressed that he really even think it flyby.
-- a thousand feet or so it's huge but they haven't passed by this close we had -- just did it it just absolutely.
Magnificent in and -- -- advertised.
If you look at the the discovery.
It is a well worn spacecraft -- it's not clean it's not Chinese it's not pretty.
It looks every bit as used it as it is it spent something like 365.
Days.
But you look at six three to 65 days.
It's -- all of it's -- 69 missions.
27 years -- man.
So and they wanted to remain looking that way when they put it on display that would bar high speed and a cleared space museum here they don't wanna clean it up.
They wanted to look like that will use ground that it.
