Discovery: Deservicing and Retirement Updates

[Ronsmytheiii]

ANd looks like that is it for OV-103, one last sleep in the VAB until she leaves:

[Ronsmytheiii]

 

A taste of things to come. @NASASpaceflight

https://twitter.com/#!/AstroN8

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 12-075

NASA AND THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM INVITE SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS TO WELCOME SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
will invite 30 of their social media followers to the first "NASA
Social" on April 19 to welcome space shuttle Discovery to the
national collection. Registration opens at noon EDT Thursday, March
15, and closes at noon Friday, March 16. Thirty participants will be
selected randomly from online registrations.

For more information on NASA Social and to register, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/social


A NASA Social is an event for people who use NASA's social media
accounts. For this event, fans and followers on Twitter, Facebook and
Google+ are eligible to register. Each participant may invite one
guest and all registrants must be 13 or older.
The social media group will tour the Smithsonian's Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy Center; speak with museum curators, NASA scientists and
engineers; and have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of viewing and
photographing space shuttles Enterprise and Discovery together.
Participants also will meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active
on social media and members of the Smithsonian and NASA social media
teams.

NASA officially will transfer Discovery into the Smithsonian's
collection April 19 in an outdoor ceremony open to the public. The
event will begin with Discovery's arrival from adjacent Dulles
International Airport onto the tow road behind the center. That
evening, specialists from NASA and the museum's collections division
will begin repositioning Enterprise and Discovery. Enterprise has
been on display at the center and is moving to New York's Intrepid
Sea, Air and Space Museum. Discovery will be moved inside the
center's James S. McDonnell Space Hangar to be displayed permanently.


For information and updates about Discovery arrival events, visit:

http://discovery.si.edu


The National Air and Space Museum operates two buildings in the
Washington area: the flagship building on the National Mall and the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., near Dulles. Both
facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec.
25).

To find all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

[NavySpaceFan]

Discovery is looking like her old self again.

[Ronsmytheiii]

Discovery is looking like her old self again.

Until they take off the tailcone and show the painted SSME bells 

[Ronsmytheiii]

Discovery in the VAB. @NASASpaceflight

https://twitter.com/#!/AstroN8

[Ronsmytheiii]

wow:

Holy crap!! Discovery from above @NASASpaceflight

https://twitter.com/#!/AstroN8

[brettreds2k]

She is looking like her self again, not all sad...lol. She looks great and the team did a great job prepping her. I love the scars on her that will forever show her flights.

[TheFallen]

Discovery is looking like her old self again.

Until they take off the tailcone and show the painted SSME bells 

Don't forget the lack of OMS nozzles.

[brettreds2k]

Those are getting installed once it arrives.

[Ronsmytheiii]

a few images up on KSC media showing the move, mostly centers on Discovery:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4

[Chris Bergin]

Many thanks to Ron for the excellent coverage of this event.

Here's our article on the events, written by Philip Sloss who was there representing NASASpaceflight.com, with additional photos by Brian Papke of MaxQ Entertainment and NASASpaceflight.com.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/03/atlantis-sister-discovery-tr-processing/

[robertross]

ANd looks like that is it for OV-103, one last sleep in the VAB until she leaves:

I think we should change your call sign to Mr. Dedication 

Thanks for the image coverage Ron.

I won't be able to see her until she's safe at her new home, but appreciate her travel photos.

[Jon Long]

My apologies if this is a little off-topic, but I thought I'd ask the experts who've actually been there.

Can anyone provide some photography tips for Discovery in the VAB? We are coming to visit again at the end of this month, and are taking the Up Close tour. Presumably Discovery will still be there in HB4, and I'd like to get some good pictures of her with my family.

What is the lighting like on a normal day there? From the photos I've seen, it's not the greatest so I'm thinking a fast lens is going to be needed, as a flash will probably be pretty pointless given the size of the area.

I'd also like to snap a few photos of the overall VAB inside to get a feel for the size of it all, so I'm thinking a fairly wide and fast zoom lens. My initial thought was to use a 17-55 f/2.8 IS lens in hopes it would be wide enough and fast enough.

That being said, I'm open to renting just about any lens that might work best. For you guys who are shooting lots of these great pics in the VAB, what do you recommend?   

[Walter S]

My images from Fridays move of Space shuttle Discovery and Atlantis as viewed from the roof of the VAB.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walter-s-photo/sets/72157629191558584/