NASA space shuttle Discovery makes final flight

The NASA space shuttle Discovery rides atop a Boeing 747 as it flies over Washington D.C., capital of the United States, April 17, 2012. The space shuttle on Tuesday left Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia where it will be displayed as a museum relic. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)

WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space shuttle Discovery, the most-flown spacecraft in history, made its final trip and landed in the nation's capital on Tuesday where it will go on permanent display by the Smithsonian later this week.

Before landing, the spacecraft soared around the Washington Monument and White House in a salute to the capital. It rode on the back of a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet and took a spin around Washington at an easy-to-spot 1,500 feet before it was grounded for good.