STS-133

Occurred 13 years ago

The crew of STS-133 closed out space shuttle Discovery's roster of accomplishments with a virtually flawless 13-day flight to attach a new module to the International Space Station and help the residents there outfit the orbiting laboratory for continued research.

Space Shuttle

Discovery

mission duration

12 days, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 50 seconds

Launch

Feb. 24, 2011

Landing

March 9, 2011

Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, these six astronauts take a break from training to pose for the STS-133 crew portrait

Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, these six astronauts took a break from training to pose for the STS-133 crew portrait. Pictured are NASA astronauts Steve Lindsey (center right) and Eric Boe (center left), commander and pilot, respectively; along with astronauts (from the left) Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt and Tim Kopra, all mission specialists.

NASA

Mission Facts

Mission: Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM)

Primary Payload: 35th station flight (ULF5), EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4), Permanent Multi-Purpose Module (PMM)
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Launch Pad: 39A
Launch Weight: 262,309 pounds
Launched: Feb. 24, 2011 at 4:53:24 p.m. EST
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Landing: March 9, 2011 at 11:57:17 a.m. EST
Mission Duration: 12 days, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 50 seconds
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Miles Traveled: 5.3 million

Crew:

Steve Lindsey, Commander

Eric Boe, Pilot

Alvin Drew, Mission Specialist

Nicole Stott, Mission Specialist

Michael Barratt, Mission Specialist

Steve Bowen, Mission Specialist

Mission Highlights

The crew of STS-133 closed out space shuttle Discovery’s roster of accomplishments with a virtually flawless 13-day flight to attach a new module to the International Space Station and help the residents there outfit the orbiting laboratory for continued research. Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, Nicole Stott and Steve Bowen lifted off aboard Discovery on Feb. 24, 2011, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin Discovery’s pursuit of the station.

The crew completed two spacewalks, installed the Permanent Multipurpose Module to the space station and attached a platform carrying spare parts for the station. They also outfitted the new module for use by station residents and set up the orbiting laboratory for continued research.
The shuttle soared through mostly clear skies over Florida on Wednesday, March 9. Lindsey guided Discovery onto the runway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11:57 a.m. EST.

After the landing, reflection mixed with celebration at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after space shuttle Discovery completed the last of its 39 missions into orbit. Lindsey and his crew walked beneath the shuttle with NASA officials including Administrator Charles Bolden.

“I am so glad we got to land here at Kennedy, the home of Discovery,” STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey said. “As the minutes pass, I’m actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight and I know all the folks involved with the shuttle program feel the same way.”

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator of Space Operations, said the work was critical to set up the station and its crew for research. “I think (Discovery’s) legacy will be the future,” Gerstenmaier said.