Final Flight for Discovery Space Shuttle

Last Tuesday, April 17, was another significant event in the timeline of the US Space Program. The Space Shuttle Discovery, mounted on a 747 carrier aircraft, was scheduled for one last flight down the coast as it was delivered from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to its final home, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution in northern Virginia.

We arrived at the beach at 6:30 am and witnessed a beautiful sunrise.

At 7:00 am the shuttle appeared, flying low and slow down the beach to Patrick AFB where it would circle and return, then circle the NASA building so employees could get one last look before it continued it's journey to Washington, DC. This photo was taken with my iPhone, so it's not the best photography. But it was still awesome.

Here is another photo, this time by someone who knows what they're doing with a camera. I bet he was using a camera instead of a phone. This was taken in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the same runway that space shuttles used for landings after space flights for nearly 30 years.

Discovery, mounted on top of a modified 747 jetliner.  (John Raoux/AP Photo)

And after the shuttle passed, the crowd applauded to show their appreciation.