Space Shuttle Discovery: Discover What's Inside

Space History curator Dr. Jennifer Levasseur takes us on a tour inside of Space Shuttle Discovery, on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

[@anthonyscira2511]

Looks like it's still ready for flight

[@marknagle1912]

Yep is till is 13 years after it last flew

[@CheapFlashyLoris]

They still keep the registration and oil changes current just in case there's an asteroid that needs nuking.

[@Errcyco]

I was in LA in a plane when this thing stopped us to pass (in 2012 I think) and it was absolutely massive. Looked different than anything I’d ever seen. I had a left window seat and I got one of the best views. My blackberry camera was terrible though and I forgot to even snap a pic. Huge though.. and low to the ground. Totally through me off.

[@ArunSudama-ur2cd]

There are no engines, batteries or liquids (fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid). It’s completely inert.

[@mdcclxxviepluribusunum1066]

Far from it

[@Robodebt1010]

So good to get a look inside. Thank you for this amazing video. Please keep making more videos showing the inside of spacecraft… that we don’t usually get to see. What an incredible machine. NASA and the whole USA must be so proud. And thank you to the Smithsonian for displaying and caring for this marvellous piece of human history.

[@kasieream1248]

Any way anyone in the public can enter the crew compartment on any kind of tour?

[@boatbyrd]

WOW! thank you so much for that up-close display of the actual working parts! I tried to watch every launch from Charleston, SC from the beach and my computer. I miss those thrills! Go SpaceX!

[@scottfw7169]

The views of and within the closed payload bay were unexpected and most welcome to see, thanks!

[@WingZeroType]

Very rarely do we get taken on a tour inside one of the most incredible machines ever built. Thank you for doing this. Would love if there were more like these!

[@RealBLAlley]

Very cool. I got to see Discovery when it was brand new. When transporting it from the assembly plant to Florida they stopped at Vandenberg AFB and we drove down to see it. Quite a sight seeing it atop the 747.

[@ewanwilson3028]

22 of January 1998 I seen space shuttle endeavour take off. To this day it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever witnessed

[@orionbarnes1733]

I saw Discovery launch on STS-131 back in 2010, and I've always felt a connection to that particular orbiter. It's a special spacecraft, with a special place in my heart.

[@Papershields001]

I was at the delivery to Dulles and it was a hell of a thing to see the orbiter arrive all burned up and do a flyby on the back of that 747. Really made you go, “oh my god, that’s a space ship.”

[@xploration1437]

Everyone thinks they’re special.

[@Papershields001]

@@xploration1437 ok.

[@Tigershark_3082]

Wait, was that at the launch close to the end of 2010?

[@jklevasseur]

I was also at that launch, 6.5 months pregnant, but now I get to be her curator and I can't tell you how great it is to hear she's so special to so many of us!

[@albertdietrich-ramirez5925]

I hope visitors can go inside Discovery one day and feel what it's like to be a real Shuttle Astronaut.

[@JKJ360]

Dr. Levasseur, thank you for the tour, but how about a peek in the working end of Discovery? Aft of the 1307 bulkhead. I worked back there years ago and I think viewers would enjoy seeing the mechanicals.

[@jklevasseur]

@JKJ360, sadly, we can't share that material as it's still under ITAR (best to Google that before I mangle it's definition) restrictions. :( Having seen it, it's so amazing. I can say that we do not have most of the working parts of the SSMEs - they were removed prior to delivery for reuse in prep for the Artemis Program. So it's a bit empty in there, but we do still go in the aft compartment to check for hydraulic fluid leaks.

[@leokimvideo]

I get that feeling if there's any spare space, add velcro

[@MexicoBeachFloridaLiving]

I love this video. Well done-I'm proud to be an American.

[@davidkruse4030]

Why is she wearing a mask? Nobody is near her.

[@SpontaneousIntrospections]

I absolutely LOVED this introspective look at the Discovery Shuttle. I was MY shuttle in that it was my initiation into human space flight. I saw the Discovery land after the Challenger was lost and it set me off on a journey to love and follow the space program as a young enthusiast. Seeing the Shuttle Discovery on display in your amazing setup was like a coming home event and this is the icing on the cake! Thank you for this additive feature!

[@dwjr5129]

I hope history remembers the space shuttle, not for the two lost crews, but for the amount of science and tech it advanced. Not to diminish the two lost crews at all, just that we learned volumes from and because of the shuttle program.

[@richardgivens9845]

Once you remove panels and see all the wiring, piping, and systems, you start to get a sense how complex the Orbiter is.

[@ghoulonfrightube]

Absolutely

[@napynap]

Best thing I've seen today! Thank you! She wasn't there last time I visited the museum. Time for another trip there!

[@craigschulz1852]

I worked at a tire recycling plant at Legal ,Alberta. One of the presses making the big rubber tiles came from NASA. There is a plaque on the big control unit showing the the year it was put in service. This press was originally used to make the tiles on the space shuttle.

[@AirlinerHistory]

Simply an awesome video. It's nice to see that some of the bigger artifacts do get opened occasionly, ifonly for maintenance and cleaning purposes. I requested once to get an inside look of the Boeing Model 367-80 so I coudl film it and the cockpit for my little KZbin channel, butwas firmly brushed off, and told that the artifacts were never opened and that the Cessna 152 that is open to the public had a similar enough cockpit arrangement. Hopefuly you guys will do one of these for the Boeing Model 367-80, because there is no video anywhere, except maybe the Boeing Archives on what that plane looks like on the inside.

[@AdventuresonTour]

I've seen, Enterprise, Discovery and Atlantis... Discovery is by far the best display of the 3. Gives you the best up close and personal feeling. Only thing that would make it better would be to have lights on inside the flight deck.

[@justinjovi]

The California Science Center is assembling a new display with Endeavour. They have received shipment of a set of SRBs and an external fuel tank and are finishing assembly so that Endeavour can be displayed with full stack in launch position.

[@AdventuresonTour]

@justinjovi I saw that. It should be cool too see. Hopefully, you can get close to it.

[@corneliuscrewe8165]

I’ve had the privilege to stand right next to her there. You don’t realize just how big they are until you see one in person. She’s a beautiful lady. Can you do an interior view of the Super Connie? I didn’t know you had one until I visited.

[@Papershields001]

I’d love to see inside the Connie. Must be hard to keep it all from getting dusty inside these airplanes.

[@wargor]

Loved watching the space launches and seeing what missions they did. This generation is missing all of this today.

[@Juan_Doooh]

That was a great tour.

[@Hemifan4266]

I am jealous, I would absolutely love to get inside a real orbiter. I saw Atlantis in Florida....Watching it on TV, you really dont get the scale of how really big these vehicles are.

[@Roger__Wilco]

I'm heading over to the US later this year from Australia mainly to visit some Air and Space museums (and some random touristy crap too probably lol) , can't wait to see this in person!

[@lunarweasel]

You will have a great time! Thanks for visiting us. Id love to go to Australia. :) - you probably already know this, but make sure you visit the downtown main Air & Space Museum AND Udvar Hazy which is where Discover is. It’s pretty far from DC, but the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio is unreal.

[@Roger__Wilco]

@@lunarweasel Yep I know about the different museums in the DC area, also just about equally interested in seeing the Enola Gay there and the SR-71 as much as the shuttle at Udvar Hazy. Thanks for the suggestion of that air force museum too, after looking it up it seems awesome and I'll try to get there! Maybe an excuse to go in a bit inland and check out Chicago or something. I've always wanted to see some national parks over on the west side too but I think that will be left to another trip.

[@lunarweasel]

@@Roger__WilcoI hope you have a great time here. Best wishes

[@kencase2179]

She is beautiful! Thank you for the look inside.

[@Apollo17-yz2sh]

You can’t see her with that shit on her face

[@davidlockwood9192]

That was incredible to see, thank you!

[@mconfive2nine]

Great ship, great tour. Need to get to see this one in person.

[@rwomble1]

Great vid - thanks!

[@shie_nikman]

I noticed above the toilet there is a sign warning max capacity of 250 lbs. Why is there a weight limit if the toilet will mainly be used in orbit when weightless? Is there ever a situation the toilet might have been used when not in orbit? Or is the sign not for the toilet at all? If it is for the toilet, what sort of situation necessitated that sign? Not being gross or crass, truly just curious!

[@Pengu1n111]

She still looks pristine, absolutely beautiful!!!!

[@bamesjond1223]

Thank you - what a fantastic video!

[@christurbo951]

Awesome!!!!

[@Cosmic_Encryption]

What a amazing and complex vehicle❤️ it still looks so cool

[@spaceflight1019]

I was there, along with my late brother in law, the day Discovery was welcomed to Udvar Hazy. I had planned to return for the ten year anniversary, but John lost his life to Agent Orange in 2020. Take care of her...

[@jklevasseur]

More than happy to do that, and thanks for sharing that great memory. I was there that day too and it was magical.

[@spaceflight1019]

@@jklevasseur I was the tall guy wearing the blue NASA jacket.

[@jklevasseur]

@@spaceflight1019 My job that day was leading about 30 of those onto the property as they escorted Discovery to the event. Were you one of those? ;-)

[@spaceflight1019]

@@jklevasseur Probably not. John and I were out in the crowd, and when we got to when they placed the two vehicles close and we could take photos I took a picture in black and white because it reminded me of the two locomotives that celebrated the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. It was a great day; the successful completion of my eight year adventure. It had its magic, though. A reporter for a newspaper asked me what my connection to the shuttle program was. After I told her the short version, someone in the assembled crowd said "thank you for your service". I was astounded, and said that I never flew. He thanked me again and the crowd began to applaud. I looked at John, and he just grinned. I was never in the service, but yet I had found a way to serve our country that didn't involve guns.

[@joshuawaters5349]

The radiators are rusting. Does the NASM have a plan to mitigate more rust from forming and restore the radiators to their like-delivered condition?

[@dand5593]

do you think they are made from cast iron or steel? :D

[@jklevasseur]

So that's not actually rust! It's discoloration of the kapton tape used. I asked that same question during our filming. The solar radiation actually discolored underlayers and a new tyep of kapton covering was put on, but it discolored anyway. I will tell you, it's also the moment I asked "what's that strange smell?" and our maintenence experts (former shuttle engineers) said "that's the smell of space!" Jaw dropping moment.

[@stuntmanstu1000]

Absolutely fascinating

[@75flyer]

If I were any more jealous right now I would just turn into dust. Thank you for the video!

[@I.M.A.Panther3619]

Great video !

[@greeneyedqt90]

I’ve been there I’ve seen it. It’s really huge in person. Pretty crazy to think.

[@LiveFromAhch-To]

That was cool!

[@noelht1]

2:00 If the suction system fails it brings a new meaning to the phrase leaving a floater in the bowl

[@johnhafer7319]

Should also have been the final orbiter to fly. NASA made a mistake not having Discovery fly the final shuttle mission in my opinion since she returned us to space after both disasters.

[@mattd1142]

Amazing

[@554466551]

Is there a video with a seamless walkthrough so we can better grasp the space and layout?

[@SS-qo4xe]

Excellent. Lets have a one hour tour

[@jfmezei]

Is Discovered powered, so you can turn on its own lights/fans ? or do you bring your own extension cord and have your own lights/fans while inside?

[@RickTheGeek]

I’m curious about that too!

[@jklevasseur]

We have to bring our own power. So lights and fans (it gets hot in there) are the first thing we hook up after opening the hatch.

[@jfmezei]

So you have your own lights and fans, or bring in power to feed the Shuttle'S own fans and lights? I know it is hard to scale to a large number of visitors, but it would be sooo nice if we could take a peek inside ! @@jklevasseur

[@GRosa250]

Very cool

[@Zerbey]

I hope you realize how privileged you are to be able to see the inside, it's something that will unlikely be ever opened for the public. Thank you for sharing this!

[@shane864]

The coolest part of living in LA is access to the Endeavor. They are mounting it upright with all three external tanks in launch position right now and building a new building around it as it is all mounted. If you are into space definitely Google California Science Center Space Shuttle- it's all happening literally right now. I take *everyone* that visits to the science center at USC. The remaining space shuttles are world wonders on par with the pyramids.

[@JoeBlow-bd1eg]

3 tanks??

[@shane864]

@@JoeBlow-bd1eg The giant orange liquid tank which has been basically laying in the backyard for the last decade, and the two white solid rocket motors on either side of it. Not technically tanks I guess but you know what I mean- the full launch assembly in its upright position. I am beyond stoked for it to be finished

[@jklevasseur]

I got to be there the night the orbiter was moved and it was pure joy and magic. So please for our friends at the California Science Center. The shuttle story over all the final locations of program equipment feels complete now.

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

02:45. Velcro, the gift to humankind from a stranded Vulcan. 😂 (Ref. Star Trek Enterprise, Carbon Creek)

[@danmidkiff5416]

Great video! Thanx! There's another channel by a man named Jared Owen. He creates animations about how things work. He did one on the shuttle along with many other machines. Check him out sometime.

[@AKandfriends-yt2yz]

I didn't realise upside down mattered in space when getting into a space suit.

[@davidkruse4030]

I am glad she wore a paper mask to do a two person video.

[@anonymous4gent]

what, no cd player?

[@kiandrah8517]

If we have learnt anything from the space program it is that we have absolutely no idea what we are doing or what will happen next. My parents live in Hennypenny Land and think man building on the moon will push it out of orbit sooner or later with all the earth tide implications associated with what will more than likely be a disaster for earth. What is in place to stop that from happening in the event of man actually building on the moon?

[@spaceflight1019]

Interesting that you can get into the "driver's seat" without having to wear a "bunny suit", or protective clothing. The reason is to protect the shuttle controls from body oils, hair, skin cells, etc.

[@navelriver]

The space shuttle was a great achievement in spacecraft. It was powerful and reusable. The problem was that its use in space was much more stressful on the machinery than was thought.This resulted in much more parts replacement and many fewer flights. The thermal protection system was particularly fragile. I wonder if a strengthening of the tps could have been done even if it drastically reduced the payload, to allow the shuttle to fly longer. I think the name 'space shuttle' was a poor one, even if accurate. It was such a mundane name for such a sophisticated spacecraft. Spaceplane would have been better! A few opinions from Canada.

[@Boringdaddi]

Ah, its …”in orbit dear”.

[@Shuttlelover101]

There's my little girl! I love you my, little sister! I'm older the her my 20-weeks and 4-days.

[@anthonywarthold]

Do you have your wear face masks in the shuttle?

[@Papershields001]

The shuttle had certain degree of grime and charring on it when it arrived at Udvar Hazy. I was there to see it fly in and it was really striking how it’s definitely a machine that’s been to space quite a bit. They’re trying to preserve that west while also cleaning away accumulating dust from the museum. Also the payload bay was always kept in clean room conditions when the orbiter was in flight. That means booties, masks and other measures that minimize the impact of crawling around in there.

[@gcvincent3989]

Howard Walowitz designed that toilet.

[@rufustrunt9889]

Good thing she wore a mask, shows she really cares.

[@Cyclegladiator]

Why did it take so long to figure out that we don’t need the space shuttle to launch satellites?

[@joshuaboyle7585]

It didn't. The original idea was that we would save on launch costs with the Space Shuttle because it was reusable. After the Challenger disaster, it became clear that the Shuttle was never going to be less expensive than unmanned rockets. However, certain satellites and payloads were still better suited for the space shuttle so it was still used in those particular cases. Check out the Astro-1 and Astro-2 missions. Absolutely amazing and impossible to do with anything but the Space Shuttle.

[@NunchucksHabit]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it "saddens" me, but it sure is frustrating to have to hear about going to the bathroom anytime questions are open to the public. Is there anything ELSE you'd like to know? Like, what has changed in the program to ensure anyone silenced for complaining about something (e.g. o-rings in cold weather) is duly heard? Or how astronauts experience total weightlessness despite being close enough to Earth to feel ~95% of Earth's gravity? Or what stages are there involved in docking, and why does it take so long to gain access to ISS after having docked? Can the ISS be expanded to collect, maintain & return disfunctional satellites, etc, etc..millions of questions. But no, someone needs to hear the thing about putting your arse on a suction tube again. I think it's totally appropriate for scientists & astronauts to push back on the bathroom question. Enough.

[@christopherwaits7852]

That should be Columbia there. If nasa wasn’t incompetent

[@nukers1234]

We lost something as humanity when we grounded the Space Shuttles permanently

[@alisondale979]

The engines are replicas as the real RS25 engines were far too valuable to be left in a museum as they're still current kit and used on such projects as Artemis.

[@hanschristianben505]

but the engine exhaust nozzles were actual flight hardware (with flight history from various missions), but mounted on specially designed attachment points where the actual engine was supposed to be…

[@montesa9136]

WTF! - No rear view mirror, cigarette lighter, am/fm radio, emergency brake, tachometer? No wonder this thing is decommissioned ......

[@GeraltofRivia5150]

Thank you for this. On my bucket list for sure.

[@scottd9448]

Now we just throw up hundreds of satellites at a tenth of the cost with no risk to humans.

[@paulypaul111]

I always notice that Americans never call the Arm by its proper name. “The Canadarm”.

[@deanmatters5739]

And not ONE TRIP to the moon?

[@codymoe4986]

In the Space Shuttle??? How and why?

[@hoop5824]

....And as wonderful as it was, they have nothing to replace it? The easy, cheap, econmic reuseable orbiter that was anything but cheap and not so reuseable as it took 2 weeks to turn one around to go into space again 😏

[@paul-ie6wi]

Lots of Velcro?……what a ripoff

[@wallacegrommet3479]

Ya, don't call it what it says right on it. "Canada arm" because you want the credit for it, so typical...

[@ansett5]

yeah but it's got a fake engine in it for display, that almost makes the whole thing seem pointless

[@badbrizzle]

Is that one of the ones that exploded where all those people died for no reason