The Space Shuttle Discovery flew over the Washington area on Tuesday on its way to Washington Dulles International Airport. Many students and staff members left their classrooms to witness the Shuttle which was strapped to a NASA Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and escorted by NASA reconnaissance jets.

The Space Shuttle, its carrier plane, and NASA T-38 Mission Support Aircrafts circled the Washington area for about an hour until it landed a little after 11am at Dulles. Hundreds of people throughout the area stopped and watched the one in a lifetime flyover.

Discovery flew 39 missions, more than any other vehicle in the fleet. Its 26-year spaceflight career began Aug. 30, 1984, when it carried six astronauts into orbit, and ended on March 9, 2011, after Discovery delivered parts of the International Space Station.

Discovery will be permanently exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located near the airport.

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Photos by Harris LaTeef