Akhir 03, 1432 H/08 March, 2011, SPA -- On the eve of Discovery's final homecoming, the six shuttle astronauts paid tribute Tuesday to the world's most traveled spaceship, saying it may be some time before there's another vessel that's worthy of the name and capable of venturing farther, according to AP. Discovery is on the verge of ending its nearly 27-year flying career. Landing is set for Wednesday. NASA will spend several months decommissioning Discovery, then send it to the Smithsonian Institution. All of NASA's space shuttles were named after great ships of exploration, the astronauts said as Discovery's last spaceflight drew to a close. There was Henry Hudson's Discovery in the 1600s that explored the northeastern United States and James Cook's in the 1700s that encountered the Hawaiian Islands. «This Discovery has done that with flying colors,» spaceman Michael Barratt told The Associated Press. «She retires with all of the honors and dignity due any of those ships that made great discoveries. «So I think we salute Discovery in that way, with all the accolades that she deserves. But it also lays out a challenge. What will be the next ship named Discovery? The next ship to bear this name hopefully will go farther than this one and make every bit as much of a contribution to history and to discovery as this ship.»
