14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, April 17, 2012, the NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 905 carried the orbiter Discovery over the US Capitol, in Washington DC, during the last flight the legendary spacecraft ever took. The SCA then headed to Virginia, where the shuttle will be exhibited from now on.
The heavily modified Boeing 747 aircraft landed at the Washington Dulles International Airport, close to the F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia. Tomorrow, April 19, the shuttle will be handed over to officials at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, during a ceremony.
Discovery left the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the last time on April 17. It is the first of three orbiters to be delivered to their final exhibition spots. Endeavour is headed for the California Science Center near Los Angeles, while Atlantis will be displayed at the KSC Visitor Center.
The new photo shows the SCA and Discovery banking close to the US Capitol, while NASA T-38 aircraft follows closely behind. This gesture was meant as a final tribute to this space shuttle.