The space shuttle Discovery completed its final flight yesterday and now it will be grounded as a museum relic. The Discovery took several victory laps above the Capital.
Second District Congressman Joe Donnelly described the thrill of watching Discovery as it took the victory laps around the White House, the Capital and Washington Monument.
“It was amazing to see,” said Donnelly. “It was sitting atop a 747 and it flew right over the Capital. As I saw it, it put a chill down my spine.”
The shuttle left at daybreak Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and three hours later made its final flight around Washington, D.C.
The shuttle will go on display Thursday at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles International Airport.
This is the first of three retired shuttles to be turned over to the museum. It first launched in 1984. The shuttle Discovery has the distinction of being the first flown by a black commander and the first flown by a female pilot. It also has logged the highest miles.
