Space Shuttle Discovery With Solid Rocket Booster
Dragon 47403

Space Shuttle Discovery with Solid Rocket Boosters is a ready-made collector's model depicting the Discovery orbiter in its launch configuration, complete with the external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters. The model is factory painted and ready for display, requiring no assembly or painting.

Discovery was the third operational orbiter built for NASA's Space Shuttle program. It was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in 1983 and made its first flight on August 30, 1984, on mission STS-41D. During that mission, the crew deployed three communications satellites, beginning a career that would make Discovery the most frequently flown orbiter in the history of the Space Shuttle program.

One of the most important missions in Discovery's history was STS-31 in April 1990, when the shuttle deployed the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Discovery later flew two servicing missions to Hubble, STS-82 in 1997 and STS-103 in 1999, delivering new scientific instruments and servicing equipment that extended the telescope's operational life.

Discovery also played an important role in a number of other major spaceflight missions. It was used to deploy satellites and scientific spacecraft, participated in missions involving the Russian Mir space station, and later became an important part of NASA's efforts to construct and supply the International Space Station. In 1998, Discovery carried astronaut John Glenn back into space aboard STS-95. At the age of 77, Glenn became the oldest person to fly in space at that time.

Following the Challenger disaster in 1986, Discovery was selected for the first return-to-flight mission. STS-26, launched in October 1988, marked the return of the Space Shuttle program to crewed operations. After the Columbia accident in 2003, Discovery again performed the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114, in 2005. These missions gave Discovery a particularly important place in the history of the Space Shuttle program.

Discovery's final mission was STS-133, launched on February 24, 2011. The shuttle delivered equipment and supplies to the International Space Station, including the Permanent Multipurpose Module. After completing 39 missions, Discovery was retired on March 9, 2011. During its career, it spent more than 365 days in space, completed 5830 orbits of Earth and travelled approximately 148 million miles.

After retirement, Discovery was transferred to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It is now displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, where it remains one of the most significant surviving spacecraft from the Space Shuttle era.