The Discovery's Final Hour

Photo credit Wired

At about noon on Wednesday, March 9th, the space shuttle Discovery touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. The shuttle has carried many unique people, such as the oldest person and the first member of Congress in space. Discovery had a twenty-seven year career.

While I think it is wise of the space program to discontinue the shuttle - otherwise flights may become dangerous for astronauts- it is certainly sad that this shuttle will no longer carry the important explorers of a new age into a vast, dark frontier. However, the Discovery served many purposes. This shuttle helped the space program achieve many things. The final landing of the Discovery signifies the end of an era. The people who have traveled on this ship have seen and traveled places you and I won't ever see. With the final landing, the sun sets on a period of exploration. However, the shuttle will be displayed in the Smithsonian as an emblem of "discovery" for everyone, even people from different nations to see. Space travel binds the world together, and while this final landing is sad, we will eventually push space travel even further, and expand the limits of our minds and imaginations.

To read more about the Discovery's journeys, refer to this article on Wired.