Unique Shuttle Linkup

On April 19, 2012, NASA and the Smithsonian conducted an unusual exchange: two retired Space Shuttles changed ownership. On the runway outside the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, the two vehicles were placed nose-to-nose for a ceremony marking the occasion.

Photo courtesy Ken Kremer
On the left is Enterprise, the first test vehicle in the Shuttle program. It never flew in space, but it provided valuable information that helped usher in the 30-year Shuttle era. On the right is Discovery, NASA's workhorse vehicle that flew more missions and spent more time in space than any other Shuttle. Discovery arrived at its new home in the Air & Space Museum, taking the place of Enterprise, which will be displayed at the Intrepid Museum in New York.