Discovery Discovers Retirement
On This Day in 2012, Space Shuttle Discovery officially retired. It was transported to Dulles International Airport en route to the Smithsonian where it has become a permanent exhibit. Discovery is now amidst thousands of aviation and space artifacts in the James S McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center.
This space vehicle’s payload bay was home to the First International Microgravity Laboratory and this Foundation’s namesake during the STS-42 mission.
![three women stand in front of old space shuttle](https://therobertabondarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Discovery-in-Smithsonian-475x356.png)
Space Shuttle Discovery’s new Smithsonian home is checked out by The Roberta Bondar Foundation Chair, Bonnie Patterson; Director, Dr Betty Roots; and Canadian Astronaut, Dr Roberta Bondar.
B Bondar / Real World Content Advantage