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Discovery, The third orbiter to become
operational at Kennedy Space Center, was named after one of 2 ships that
were used by the British explorer James Cook in the 1770's during voyages
in the South Pacific to the discovery of the Hawaiian islands. Another of
his ships was the endeavor, the name sake of the orbiter. Cook also used
discovery to explore the southern coast of Alaska and South Western
Canada. During the American Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin made a
safe conduct request for the British vessel for the scientific importants
of it's research. Other famous ships have carried the name Discovery,
including 1 used by Henry Hudson to explore the Hudson bay in Canada as
well as what was hoped to be the Northwest passage from the Atlantic to
the Pacific in 1610 and 1611.
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Quick
Facts
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| Height: |
363
feet tall |
| Weight: |
172,000lbs. |
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