Space Shuttle Discovery Poised for Final Takeoff It's departure day for space shuttle Discovery. At daybreak Tuesday, NASA's oldest and most traveled shuttle will take off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center for Washington aboard a modified jumbo jet. It's set to become a museum piece at the Smithsonian Institution. NASA/Getty Images Weather permitting, the jet and shuttle will fly south down the Cape Canaveral beach for everyone to see, before turning north. A low flyover also is planned once they reach Washington. Discovery is the first of the three retired space shuttles to head to a museum. It will go on display at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, taking the place of the shuttle prototype Enterprise. The Enterprise will shuffle off to New York City. Endeavour will head to Los Angeles this fall. Atlantis will remain at Kennedy.