Northern Virginia Welcomes Discovery

The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will open its parking lot (and the McDonald’s) at 8 a.m. Tuesday for those who want to see the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery. Bring a lawn chair and your breakfast. Parking is $15, the museum is free.

The Udvar-Hazy Center parking lot is one of several locations, which the Smithsonian Institution included on its list of places to watch for the shuttle.

Discovery will arrive piggyback atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747.  Depending on weather conditions, the plane plans a flyover of the D.C. area between 10-11 a.m. prior to landing at Dulles International Airport.

The Discovery arrival and landing depends on the weather, according to NASA officials.

Follow Discovery online Tuesday at: #SpotTheShuttle on Twitter.