I can't believe I missed this one. Not counting the test runs of the prototype Enterprise, yesterday was also the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Columbia, the first of NASA's fleet, began its first orbital test flight on April 12, 1981.
Now that the shuttle program is winding down, NASA has announced (also yesterday) the final resting places of each of the three remaining shuttles and the Enterprise. The lucky museums will get an iconic piece of American and world history - a vehicle whose image has been synonymous with space travel for longer than my entire lifetime and whose adventures have been inspiring a generation of children and adults alike.
The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum (my favorite) will get Discovery, NASA's oldest surviving shuttle and its most accomplished. It has flown the most missions, ferried numerous luminaries to space, and led the return to flying after both the Challenger and Columbia tragedies. Ever since I saw it blast off from afar in Florida one time, I've had a soft spot for Atlantis, but this is very exciting news nonetheless. Discovery is the fleet's unofficial flagship, in a way. It has already been retired and, in a year or so, anyone will be able to visit it - to touch a piece of history, to stand closer to outer space than we may ever physically get, and to dream.
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