NASA turned over its retired space shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution this past week, according to the Washington Post. The spaceship will be put on display in the National Air and Space Museum’s hangar-museum near Dulles International Airport. No efforts will be made to restore the Discovery; it will be displayed with the discolorations and burn marks which resulted when it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. To further preserve the integrity of the space shuttle, museum guests will not be permitted to walk inside the Discovery or to see the flight deck.
