Two of Nasa's three retired space shuttles were greeted with cheers as they traded places yesterday.
In a rare nose-to-nose encounter, Discovery and Endeavour met outside the shuttle hangar at Kennedy space Centre in Florida.
Discovery moved into the hangar and Endeavour went to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Nasa workers lined the route to look at one thing they'll never see once more as the 2 giant shuttles, paying homage to 2 retired heavyweight boxers, were wheeled towards one another.
In a rare nose-to-nose encounter, Discovery and Endeavour met outside the shuttle hangar at Kennedy space Centre in Florida.
Discovery moved into the hangar and Endeavour went to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Nasa workers lined the route to look at one thing they'll never see once more as the 2 giant shuttles, paying homage to 2 retired heavyweight boxers, were wheeled towards one another.
The switch was necessary for Nasa to continue getting ready both spaceships for their future homes.
Discovery will head next spring to a Virginia hangar belonging to the Smithsonian institution.
Endeavour will then be transported to the California Science Centre in l. a. .
Atlantis - that recently completed the last shuttle flight - will remain at Kennedy for public display.
Last month, Atlantis was towed into its hangar at the Orbiter Processing Facility many hours after it landed, ending not solely its two-week mission, but a 30-year shuttle programme that has long been the pride of America.
The shuttle, that was paraded through the streets to thousands of cheering fans, was fastidiously locked away for the last time, signalling the top of an era.
Discovery will head next spring to a Virginia hangar belonging to the Smithsonian institution.
Endeavour will then be transported to the California Science Centre in l. a. .
Atlantis - that recently completed the last shuttle flight - will remain at Kennedy for public display.
Last month, Atlantis was towed into its hangar at the Orbiter Processing Facility many hours after it landed, ending not solely its two-week mission, but a 30-year shuttle programme that has long been the pride of America.
The shuttle, that was paraded through the streets to thousands of cheering fans, was fastidiously locked away for the last time, signalling the top of an era.
It was the last time the shuttle are seen by the general public for a short time after it made an ideal landing at Cape Canaveral, finishing the 135th mission for the fleet, that has coated an astonishing 542million miles and circled Earth twenty one,150 times.
The 5 shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries.
Nasa originally promised 50 shuttle flights a year, but the programme suffered 2 tragic accidents that killed 14 astronauts and destroyed 2 shuttles - Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.
Nasa never managed more than nine flights in an exceedingly single year. and therefore the cost was virtually £1billion a flight.
The very 1st shuttle flight passed off in April 1981. it'll be another three to five years at best before Americans are kicked off space once more from U.S. soil, with non-public firms gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.
The 5 shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries.
Nasa originally promised 50 shuttle flights a year, but the programme suffered 2 tragic accidents that killed 14 astronauts and destroyed 2 shuttles - Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.
Nasa never managed more than nine flights in an exceedingly single year. and therefore the cost was virtually £1billion a flight.
The very 1st shuttle flight passed off in April 1981. it'll be another three to five years at best before Americans are kicked off space once more from U.S. soil, with non-public firms gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.
After Atlantis arrived home, 3,200 of the shuttle program's 5,500 contract workers lost their jobs.
Asteroids and Mars are now the destinations of alternative, nevertheless Nasa has nevertheless to settle on a rocket style to urge astronauts there.
Nasa's 5 space shuttles launched, saved and revitalised the Hubble space Telescope, engineered the space station - the world's largest orbiting structure, and opened the final frontier to girls, minorities, schoolteachers, even a prince.
The first american to orbit the world, John Glenn, became the oldest person ever in space, thanks to the shuttle. He was 77 at the time; he turned 90 in July.
Born with Columbia, it absolutely was Nasa's longest-running space exploration programme.
Asteroids and Mars are now the destinations of alternative, nevertheless Nasa has nevertheless to settle on a rocket style to urge astronauts there.
Nasa's 5 space shuttles launched, saved and revitalised the Hubble space Telescope, engineered the space station - the world's largest orbiting structure, and opened the final frontier to girls, minorities, schoolteachers, even a prince.
The first american to orbit the world, John Glenn, became the oldest person ever in space, thanks to the shuttle. He was 77 at the time; he turned 90 in July.
Born with Columbia, it absolutely was Nasa's longest-running space exploration programme.
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