April 17, 2012 (24 images)

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), flies over the Washington skyline as seen from a NASA T-38 aircraft, April 17, 2012. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASAÕs shuttle fleet, 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. UPI/NASA/Robert Markowitz

The Space Shuttle Discovery atop the NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Bowing 747, flies past the Washington Monument on its way to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Virginia annex for its permanent display on April 17, 2012 in Washington, DC. The shuttle flew over the Nation's Capital at 1500 feet offering a great view for residents and tourists before landing at Dulles International Airport. UPI/Pat Benic

The Space Shuttle Discovery, atop a Boeing 747, and trailed by a USAF warplane, makes a pass over the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and US Capitol along The Mall, Washington, DC, as it makes its way to Dulles International Airport, where it will be taken for retirement to the Smithsonian Museum's Udar-Hazy Center, April 17, 2012. UPI/Mike Theiler

After serving the US Space Program for nearly 30 years, NASA's space shuttle "Discovery" makes its final departure from its "home base" the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on April 17, 2012. The orbiter and the shuttle carrier aircraft took off shortly before 7:00 AM from the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 33. Discovery is headed for the Smithsonian Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia near Washington DC., where it will be placed on permanent display for public viewing. .UPI/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell