Best Viewing Sites for Discovery's Flyover of the Washington D.C. Area on April 17
04.12.12
View Sites for Viewing Space Shuttle Discovery in a larger map
On Tuesday, April 17, between 10 and 11 a.m. EDT, space shuttle Discovery, mounted on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, will fly from Kennedy Space Center to its new home at the National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center. Individuals in the Washington metropolitan area will have the opportunity to see Discovery before it lands at Dulles International Airport.
Though the exact route and timing of the flight depend on weather and operational constraints, the SCA is expected to fly at approximately 1,500 feet near a variety of landmarks in the area, including the National Mall, Reagan National Airport, National Harbor and the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center.
Some publicly accessible locations from which you may be able to “Spot the Shuttle” are listed below. If you take pictures, feel free to post them on the
Space Shuttle Discovery Flickr Group and if you’re on Twitter, you can tweet them using the hashtag #spottheshuttle.
District of Columbia
- The National Mall, including Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the east end
- Hains Point/East Potomac Park, south of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge
- Southwest Waterfront Park
Virginia
- Long Bridge Park, 475 Long Bridge Drive, Arlington
- Old Town Alexandria Waterfront
- Gravelly Point, just off the George Washington Parkway, near National Airport
Maryland
- National Harbor, just off the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Prince George’s County
Additional Resources
Shuttle Discovery Tribute Gallery
The Space Shuttle Program: A Tribute in Pictures Mission by Mission:
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Interactive Feature
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