Image above: The STS-133 crew members are (clockwise, from upper left) Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Steve Bowen and Michael Barratt, Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Eric Boe. Photo credit: NASA
Discovery’s visit to the station was extended by two days so its crew could help outfit the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo that it delivered. Leonardo had visited the station seven times before as a cargo carrier before being refurbished to serve as a permanent 2,472-cubic-foot addition to the orbiting laboratory. Among the 6,000 pounds of Leonardo cargo was Robonaut 2, a human upper torso-like robot that could be a precursor of devices to help during spacewalks. About 2,000 pounds of additional cargo for the station was carried on the shuttle’s middeck.
This was the 35th shuttle mission to the station and the final flight of Discovery.