Photos: Space Shuttle Discovery's Final Voyage (to Museum)

SCA and Discovery Just Taking Off

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home takes off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at about 7 a.m. EDT, April 17, 2012.

SCA and Discovery Await Takeoff

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home prepares to take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at about 7 a.m. EDT, April 17, 2012.

Discovery on SCA Taxiing on Runway

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home taxis to the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing to take off at about 7 a.m. EDT, April 17, 2012.

Cranes for Discovery

Workers use two cranes to position the sling that will be used to demate the space shuttle Discovery, Monday, April 16, 2012, at the Apron W area of Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va.

Discovery Flyover Best Viewing Sites Map

On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, between 10 and 11 a.m. EDT, space shuttle Discovery atop a Boeing 747 jet will fly from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to the Smithsonian's NASM Udvar-Hazy Center and may be visible from the locations on this NASA map. If you take a photo of Discovery's ferry flight, please send it to SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

Discovery Aboard Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

Johnson Space Center tweeted this photo of shuttle Discovery

Discovery Mated to Carrier Plane for Smithsonian Trip

Space shuttle Discovery was mated atop NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, on Sunday, April 15, 2012 for the spacecraft’s upcoming ferry flight to the Smithsonian.

Tails of Discovery and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft After Mating

As the sun rose on April 16, 2012, the tail ends of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and space shuttle Discovery were illuminated under the Shuttle Landing Facility's mate-demate device at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Shuttle Museum Delivery Mission Patch

Pilot Jeff Moultrie in the captain's seat of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Moultrie designed a ‘final mission’ patch for his crew’s shuttle museum deliveries, as shared with collectSPACE.com.

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Moves Under Discovery

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft moves into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended 60 feet off the ground in the mate-demate device. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. Photo taken April 15, 2012.