Dulles, VA — The space shuttle Discovery sits atop a NASA 747 carrier aircraft landing after the final time of space shuttle Discovery at Dulles International Airport.  Discovery flew aboard a modified jumbo jet to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 where the shuttle will be put on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Discovery completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers