About Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery has earned a place of honor in the collection of national treasures preserved by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The longest-serving orbiter, Discovery flew 39 times from 1984 through 2011 — more missions than any of its sister ships — spending altogether 365 days in space. 

Discovery also flew every type of mission during the space shuttle era and has a record of distinctions. Discovery well represents the full scope of human spaceflight in the period 1981-2011.
 

Satellite delivery and retrieval, Department of Defense, scientific, Hubble Space Telescope, Mir, and space station assembly, crew exchange, and resupply missions

Three Hubble Space Telescope missions: deployment (1990) servicing (1997, 1999)
    Highest crew count: 251
    First non-astronaut to fly on space shuttle, Charles Walker (1984)
    Flown aboard Discovery: Sen. Jake Garn (1985) and Sen. John Glenn (1998)
    Served as Return-to-Flight vehicle after Challenger and Columbia tragedies (1988, 2005)
    Flown by first African American commander, Frederick Gregory (1989)
    Piloted by first female spacecraft pilot, Eileen Collins (1995), and by Pamela Melroy on her first flight as pilot (2000)
    Flew 100th shuttle mission (2000)
    Flown by both women commanders, Eileen Collins (2005) and Pamela Melroy (2006)
    Made first visit to Mir, rendezvous without docking (1995)
    Made final docking visit to Mir space station (1998)
    Made first docking with International Space Station (1999)
    Delivered trusses, Harmony node, Kibo laboratory module, Robonaut2, Leonardo module, and tons of supplies to International Space Station (1999-2011)