The space shuttle Discovery is set to take off on its final mission on November 1, NASA said in a Tuesday statement.

The STS-133 mission is commanded by seasoned astronaut Steve Lindsey, and the six-man crew will conduct a final simulation on Tuesday at Houston's Johnson Space Center in preparation for the flight.

The voyage is set to launch out of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA said the mission will deliver key spare parts to the International Space Center. The 11-day trip will also deliver a humanoid robot to the station, and it will include two separate space walks.

Discovery is the oldest vessel in the space shuttle fleet, and it has been to space more than any other shuttle. First launched in 1984, STS-133 is its 39th mission and another notable flight in Discovery's history. After both the Challenger and Columbia disasters, it was the first shuttle to launch on Return to Flight missions in 1988 and 2005, respectively. Other important flights include the launch of the Hubble telescope in 1990 and John Glenn's trip to space in 1998. The fleet is set to retire in February 2011.

Astronaut Nicole Stott will send mission updates to her Twitter handle, @Astro_Nicole. NASA has also asked the public to choose the songs that will wake astronauts up on the flight. In the past, this decision has been left to friends and family of the crew, but the public can vote on NASA's Web site.

Though it's scheduled for Nov. 1, the shuttle must take off by Nov. 7 or the mission will have to be delayed until at least the end of November. From Nov. 8 to Nov. 23, the sun will be at an angle that will not allow the space station to generate ample electricity or heat the shuttle.

Last week, Commander Douglas H. Wheelock of Expedition 25 became the first person to use Foursquare from space. He checked into the International Space Station, unlocking the new NASA Explorer Badge.