Description
Description
Embroidered 4-inch patch representing STS-133, a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by space shuttle Discovery.
STS-133, launched on February 24, 2011, served as the historic final flight of the orbiter Discovery, the most-flown spacecraft in history. During the 13-day mission, the six-person crew delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo, which was modified from a temporary cargo carrier into a permanent addition to the International Space Station to provide extra research and storage volume. The mission also saw the delivery of Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, and the Express Logistics Carrier 4, which carried critical spare parts to sustain the station after the shuttle's retirement. Astronauts Alvin Drew and Stephen Bowen performed two spacewalks to maintain station hardware, including the installation of a camera on the Dextre robotic arm.
When Discovery touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center, it concluded a 27-year career that spanned 39 missions and over 148 million miles, marking the beginning of the end for the Space Shuttle program.
