KSC-2011-1869

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Crew members from Liberty Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, use skiffs to approach the right spent booster bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean after space shuttle Discovery's final launch. Divers are already in the water. The shuttle's two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux