Shuttle's final salute caps off 30 years of Discovery (51 images)

A view of the cargo bay of NASA's Space Shuttle "Discovery" as it is being prepared for retirement at the Kennedy Space Center on June 21, 2011. UPI/Joe Marino - Bill Cantrell

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with the crew of the Discovery Space Shuttle's last mission in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on May 9, 2011.

NASA's Space Shuttle "Discovery" touches down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility for an on time landing at 11:57 AM at the Kennedy Space Center on March 9, 2011. Discovery's 39th and final flight ends with the successful completion of a fourteen day mission, STS 133, to the International Space Station. Discovery and her crew delivered supplies, installed the Multipurpose Logistics Module and the Express Logistics Carrier #4, completing construction of the orbiting station. UPI/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell

This NASA images taken on March 7, 2011 by a crew member onboard the International Space Station shows Space Shuttle Discovery as it moves away from the International Space Station. UPI/NASA