Space shuttle Discovery takes off for the last time

Physics Today : Discovery, the busiest space shuttle in NASA’s fleet, was successfully launched on its final mission yesterday, at 4:50 pm, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pete Spotts, writing for the Christian Science Monitor , gives an overview of Discovery and its last trip. The ship is carrying an Italian-built cargo carrier reengineered to provide extra storage space on the International Space Station. In addition, the orbiter is lofting some five tons of supplies and Robonaut 2, which designers envision as an eventual humanoid helpmate for future space station crews. Space.com provides a photo album of the building of Discovery in the early 1980s.