Space Shuttle Discovery's final landing (video)

As Rob noted earlier today, Space Shuttle Discovery piggybacked in flight this morning to its final resting place, at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center. Here is video of the shuttle arriving in Washington, DC.

Space reporter Miles O'Brien was at Kennedy Space Center this morning for the final departure.

NASA has a Flickr pool where folks along the flight path have posted flyover shots. And there are some great "citizen photographer" shots of the DC descent from various POVs here. NASM's own Isabel Lara was wowed at the landing site:

They're incredible up close!!! #SpotheShuttle #OV103 twitter.com/isalara/status…
— Isabel Lara (@isalara) April 17, 2012

It's a bittersweet day for space fans. Private space exploration continues from KSC, with a planned rocket launch from SpaceX later this month. But with Discovery's final journey, a great era in manned space flight truly feels over.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: discovery • Space • space shuttle

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mccrum

Saddest. Post. Ever.

Need Caine’s Arcade Chaser…
MarcVader

Scumbag USA… Slashes planetary science budget. Orders humans to Mars for next PR stunt.

Y U NO FUND REAL SCIENCE WITH ROBOTS?

Nevertheless beautiful vid, and indeed bittersweet.
(ps: The last PR stunt I’m referring to was the moon landings.)
Alex Williams

So, does anyone know how they are going to get the shuttle off the 747? I’m assuming they don’t just keep a Mount-Demount Device on hand in Washington D.C….
- wrecksdart
  
  I believe Cory Booker is on hand to…oh nevermind.
- siloxane
  
  They can unload the shuttle with a pair of cranes when they do not have the Mate-Demate Device available. NASA has an article on their website with pictures.
Tim Maddux

The last shot of it leaving view in the distance, I couldn’t help but think to myself how it looked like a spaceship. Which of course, it is. Or was.
http://twitter.com/BonzoDog1 BonzoDog1

Before we get all weepy, remember it was a space truck that turned into a Lamborghini with a lousy catastrophic failure rate that helped build a millionaire’s space hotel/big pharma lab.
- schilsound
  
  I don’t think this is about most readers’ shared anti corporate sentiment; it’s about dreams.
  
  And for those of us who grew up reading Asimov, Heinlein, DeCamp and the rest? This made dream flights less a supposition and more a possibility, a concrete reality.
  
  I for one am sad to see the dreams of my youth mothballed, failures deaths and loss notwithstanding.
Mavericky

And in a few decades they will circle their corporate headquarters and a few oligarchs on the top floor will swoon while bystanders on the ground shrug, then go back to their gruel.
relawson

came to see the final “landing” video…

did not see the final “landing” video :(

did see a final “decent” video, which was very high quality and nice.
- Susan Carley Oliver
  
  Yes, the descent was decent, said the pedant to the pedant.
  - relawson
    
    ** chortle **
    And, of course, I meant to do that!
    :)
http://www.facebook.com/nishima Nishima Auluck

Space shuttle discovery.. Flies over and Lands in Washington DC! Beautiful!! http://liveoncampus.com/wire/show/3367366
penguinchris

The ending of Dr. Strangelove sends a shiver down my spine every time – seems odd, but ultimately quite apt use here.
txb23

Misleading headline much? Was hoping to see a video of the actual landing … which must be pretty cool to see. (That’s a hint.)