Space shuttle Discovery completed its 27-year run Wednesday and is now prepping for a quieter life in the confines of a museum. But NASA is not resting on its laurels; the space shuttle Endeavour will be rolled out to the launch pad later tonight.
The Discovery crew (below), who landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center just before noon yesterday, were scheduled to depart at 2pm Eastern today and head back home to Houston.
Discovery, meanwhile, will eventually make its way to a museum. According to a 2010 document about shuttle placement, "under NASA's current plan, the Orbiter Discovery is to transfer to the National Air and Space Museum." NASA reiterated that yesterday, tweeting that "the plan is to put the shuttles in museum."
Space.com reports that Discovery will first need to go through a major decontamination process, which could take months.
Interestingly, if you're an educational institution or science museum interested in taking one of the shuttles off NASA's hands, it could set you back almost $30 million. The shuttle placement document says that "the cost to complete display preparation for each Orbiter and ferry the Orbiter to its ultimate display location is updated to $28.8 million."
In the meantime, Endeavour is scheduled to launch on April 19 at 7:48pm Eastern. At 8pm Eastern tonight, technicians will start moving Endeavour from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. That roll-out was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but it was delayed due to inclement weather.
The mission, known as STS-134, will last 14 days and will be led by Commander Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at an Arizona shopping mall in January. In the wake of that tragedy, NASA selected astronaut Rick Sturckow as a backup commander in case Kelly had to stay with his wife. However, Giffords improved rapidly and was moved to a rehab facility near NASA mission control in Houston, so Kelly decided in early February that he will make the trip on Endeavour.
Kelly's twin brother Scott is also an astronaut and is currently at the International Space Station; he will return in mid-March.
After Endeavour, Atlantis will be the final shuttle launch before the program is retired, provided the space agency receives the necessary funding from Congress. That is scheduled for June 28.
