Space Shuttle Discovery First Launched 30 Years Ago

— -- Today marks 30 years since Space Shuttle Discovery's first launch.

Discovery, the third space shuttle to join NASA's fleet, left for its first mission on Aug. 30, 1984, to deploy three communication satellites.

Discovery finished more than 30 missions afterwards, including one to launch the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit in 1990 and a trip to the International Space Station in 2005. According to NASA, it received its name from several exploration ships, including one used to search for a northwest passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Discovery completed its final mission in 2011. It now resides at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Discovery Launches After Columbia Disaster

Discovery Launches to Take Hubble Telescope into Orbit

John Glenn Preps for Return to Space