STS-133

[Admin]

With Discovery crew back into their vehicle, the crews start closing the hatches separating the ISS and Discovery for the last time.

/Admin

[Admin]

Discovery is "go for undocking".

/Admin

[Admin]

And Discovery has undocked from the ISS for the final time...

History in the making.

/Admin

[Admin]

...and the last Discovery Fly-around.

/Admin

[Cthulhus]

Do you have the new ETA for the approach/landing ? In GMT if possible

[christra]

Just could see ISS and Discovery in formation passing over Germany.

Beautiful! 

[Admin]

The OBSS tiles check is complete, with the entire process having been downloaded (uploaded?) to Huston for evaluation. This was the last tiles check and OBSS activation for Discovery.

Quite a few "lasts" today - last farewell ceremony in the ISS, last undocking, last TORFA, and now that the RMS rests back onto its craddles, last OBSS usage, last tiles check, and last RMS ops.

Soon, the last crew of Discovery will have their last sleep onboard this respectable bird and then land her, again, for the last time this Wednesday at KSC...

Sad moments of closure and pondering as the retirement of the STS program draws closer.

/Admin

[Admin]

Discovery is "go for reentry". Weather tomorrow seems not to be a problem, but you never know

Let's hope that Discovery will make it safely home for the last time.

/Admin

[Admin]

Discovery touchdown planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9 at 11:57 EST.

GodSpeed Discovery!

/Admin

[uri_ba]

I guess they are going for DN for KSC? (like on STS-131)

[Admin]

‎50 minutes to Discovery's last PLB door closure and a bit more than two orbits until the its last Deorb burn.

Weather at KSC still looking good for a landing today, as scheduled.

/Admin

[Admin]

Discovery has a go for her last DEORB burn.

/Admin

[Cthulhus]

And soon, last sonic boom, last HAC, last landing ...  

[Admin]

Great landing on great weather! Discovery has spent a cummulative one year in space and serviced Space Exploration for 27 years.

/Admin

[gablau]

Great landing on great weather! Discovery has spent a cummulative one year in space and serviced Space Exploration for 27 years.

/Admin

It was heartbreaking to watch Discovery landing the last time. Yes, I know, there is no real need anymore, but it was still heartbreaking.

I just don't quite understand one thing. Like the Russians kept the Sojuz alive, despite a large hiatus of "no need", why can't USA do the same with the Space Shuttle. How much it possibly cost to keep at least one shuttle instrumented, have boosters, have one fuel tank, turn off all the instruments of mission control, but keep them? What if some disaster would disables ISS for good? With one shuttle they could save all the critical research material, whatever else, which otherwise will be all lost, if the whole ISS would have to burn up in the atmosphere.