April 17 - Shuttle Discovery to land at Dulles

[Egz]

Heads up to anyone in the area. Discovery is slotted to land at Dulles on the 17th, weather permitting. General public is suggested that the best place to watch is from their parking lot.

[ATL_Av8r]

T-38s will be scouting routes through the ADIZ today

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...4HxS_blog.html

[Egz]

Heard about that on the radio, didn't know it was related.

So while being there on the 17th would be sweet, sounds like the 19th is the day to go.

[dubfan]

Thought this was cool. One of the last photos ever taken of a powered Shuttle flight deck:

PHOTO: Flight Deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour, fully powered for one of the final times: launchphotography.com/Endeavour_Flig…

Ben Cooper, @LaunchPhoto on Twitter.

[dubraycer36]

Going to the Air and Space Museum?

[Egz]

Going to the Air and Space Museum?

Yup. And the Enterprise is going to New York to the Intrepid.

[dubfan]

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news...?cmpid=twitter

[Geekengineer]

Heads up to anyone in the area. Discovery is slotted to land at Dulles on the 17th, weather permitting. General public is suggested that the best place to watch is from their parking lot.

I'm live near the south end of the airport. Will post pics if I can get to a good spot in time.

[ATL_Av8r]

Yup. And the Enterprise is going to New York to the Intrepid.

Where is it going to go on the Intrepid? I'd hate to see it sit outside and rot like they're letting that Concorde

[NoDubJustYet]

Where is it going to go on the Intrepid? I'd hate to see it sit outside and rot like they're letting that Concorde

Yeah, God forbid they put one in the USAF Museum.

[Egz]

Where is it going to go on the Intrepid? I'd hate to see it sit outside and rot like they're letting that Concorde

I'm not sure they know.

I found this:


"A conceptual rendering of how Space Shuttle Enterprise will be displayed on Intrepid’s flight deck, beginning Summer 2012."

And:


"This is just one possible design concept for a new multi-faceted, state-of-the-art exhibition center that will tell the story of our Space Shuttle program, and feature the Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) as its centerpiece."

[dubfan]

You guys don't even wanna know the story with Intrepid and Enterprise.

It's too depressing.

Bottom line: they're supposed to build something to cover & house it, but they are way, way behind in the planning and fund-raising so they're going to keep it somewhere else for a while (JFK? Laguardia? Can't remember...) and then move it when the facility is ready.

Problem is, one of the conditions of them getting it in the first place was that they have the facility ready to go... And it looks like Intrepid knew this all along... So a lot of people (Houston, mainly) are crying foul.

[David@vwvortex]

Right now I am planning on watching it from the Udvar-Hazy parking lot since are going to have that open for folks. It's going to do a flyby of Dulles before it lands and the plan was to try to get DHS to approve a flyby/around of the Capitol. DHS is pitching fits about that however, but NASM is trying hard to get them to allow it.

[dubfan]

By the way, not that anyone reading this forum who would happen to be nearby would need the encouragement, but just in case...

If you have the chance to see this, either the Mall flyover or its arrival at Dulles, DO IT. It is a spectacular sight. Unfortunately, it'll be the last time (save one more flight for Endeavour to LA in the Fall) that anyone will ever see it.

After Discovery's post-Challenger flight in 1988, the SCA ferrying it back from Edwards flew straight up A1A into KSC at about 1000 ft AGL. I was at a party at a friend's house in Cocoa Beach, and everyone went outside to watch -- we were all just slack-jawed. It remains one of the most amazing things I saw while working there, and I saw a lot of cool stuff.

[ATL_Av8r]

Won't be able to make it up there to see it, but luckily got to see a shuttle-laden SCA on short final from my 6th grade school playground. Not sure why they were landing at WPAFB but it was cool to see. This would have been 1988 or so.

[-mlfhntr-]

Might have to make that flight deck photo my work background for a while.

[dubraycer36]

Might have to make that flight deck photo my work background for a while.

Already on my home PC.

[dubfan]

For Florida peeps, fly-out plans. Looks like they will depart on the 17th @ 7am to the south, do a 180 somewhere around PAFB and then make a slow pass over the beaches and KSC, before heading out out to Dulles:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...nclick_check=1

And some more flight deck pics:

http://www.businessinsider.com/one-l...forever-2012-4

[pentoro]

Hope to make it to the AS Museum once its there. Any idea when they will have it on display for the public?

[dubfan]

Fat lady, starting to sing.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttl...120410gallery/

[dubfan]

http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressr...?releaseID=289

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and NASA Announce Places to "Spot the Shuttle"

The Space Shuttle Discovery, expected to arrive in the skies over the Washington area Tuesday, April 17, will be a sight people do not see every day. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which will receive the historic orbiter from NASA in a ceremony April 19, is encouraging people to look skyward to witness the sight. Together with NASA, the museum is promoting a “Spot the Shuttle” campaign.

Discovery, atop a Boeing 747 modified as a Shuttle Carrier, will leave Kennedy Space Center around dawn and will likely arrive in the Washington area between 10 and 11 a.m. According to NASA, the aircraft is expected to fly near several landmarks in the metropolitan area, including the National Mall, Reagan National Airport, National Harbor and the museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center, Discovery’s future home. The exact route and timing of the flight, which is being coordinated in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, will depend on weather and operational constraints.

Some publicly accessible locations where people may be able to “Spot the Shuttle” are listed below.

District of Columbia

The National Mall, including Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the east end
Hains Point at East Potomac Park, south of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge
The Southwest Waterfront Park
Virginia

Long Bridge Park, located at 475 Long Bridge Dr. in Arlington
Old Town Alexandria waterfront
Gravelly Point, just off the George Washington Parkway, near National Airport
In Maryland

National Harbor, just off the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Prince George’s County, Md. Follow Beltway exits
For a close-up view as the carrier approaches Dulles Airport, the museum suggests shuttle spotters gather at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center parking lot. The lot will open at 8 a.m.; there is a $15 parking charge. McDonald’s will be open for breakfast, pastries and coffee; people may also bring their own breakfast.

Individuals who spot the shuttle while driving are encouraged to pay close attention to safety. In cooperation with AAA, the museum is offering Safe Driving Tips for Spotting the Shuttle, which can be found on its website.

For information about Discovery events at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, including the transfer ceremony and Welcome Discovery, a four-day festival of space-related activities presented by the museum in cooperation with NASA, visit http://discovery.si.edu.

To learn more about Spot the Shuttle, including social media opportunities for sharing photos, videos and impressions, visit http://discovery.si.edu/spottheshuttle.

The museum has established telephone hotlines to get current information on the shuttle as it travels from Florida to the Washington area. In Washington, D.C., call (202) 633-9100. In Virginia, call (703) 572-4100. Note: The hotlines will not be live until April 17.

[disenfranchised]

Here's a list of suggested viewpoints for the flyover: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...0qCT_blog.html

I'll be trying to get roof access somewhere downtown.

[dubfan]

Some really great hi-res decomissioning photos here, including this one of Lord Stanley's Cup on the flight deck:



http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...uttles/100271/

[FlyinTurbo]

I might be flying a Redstrip plane in to IAD on the 17th! How cool would that be to watch the shuttle land!

[dubfan]

Nice video of the tow operation, sling mating, and initial lift at the Mate/Demate Device.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-mY_Sdmo7U

Space Shuttle Discovery was rolled out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building in the early morning hours of April 14 for its final journey to the center's Shuttle Landing Facility Mate/Demate device. Next, Discovery will be lifted and placed atop the SCA in preparation for its ride to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17.

Discovery is set to depart just after sunrise and arrive in the Washington, D.C. area around 10 a.m. After arriving at Dulles, Discovery will be moved on April 19 to the nearby Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center for permanent public display.

[dubfan]

[GolfTango]

Is this still on, nephew and I may make the trip?

[Brendon1098]

i'll be on the roof of one of the buildings at nat'l harbour when she comes in. I hope I remember to be anyways lol

[dubfan]

Great HD video of the lift & mate operations today --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJoppJHl8sA

[dubfan]

Last night & this morning.







Photo source: @RobertPearlman (collectSPACE.com), @Astronut099 on Twitter.

[Tornado2dr]

^^^

Awesome pics. Sad I won't be in the DC area to catch it.

I really like that the shuttle is still all scarred up and dirty. I hope they all stay that way.

[naiku]

I wish I could get out to Dulles tomorrow with my boys, they would absolutely love to see this come in. I used to work literally 5 minutes up the road from Dulles. Not going to be able to get off work/boys out of school though

[dubfan]

From astronaut Nicole Stott (@Astro_Nicole):

[Egz]

I really like that the shuttle is still all scarred up and dirty. I hope they all stay that way.

Same. Really enhances its historical role.

[sg207ptg]

I am taking off tomorrow. Still undecided on where to go to watch... Anybody going to the A&P museum parking lot at Dulles? Wonder if I can camp out at the end of runway 1R (outside the fence)...