( CNN ) -- The last chapter in the story of the space shuttle Discovery ended Wednesday as the shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida . Discovery touched down just before noon ET as planned . Crowds of onlookers cheered . The announcer on NASA TV called it `` the end of a historic journey '' and added , `` To the ship that has led the way time and time again we say , 'Farewell , Discovery . ' '' Discovery retires having logged more than 148 million miles in orbit during 39 flights . It spent 365 days in space during its lifetime . Discovery 's first launch was August 30 , 1984 . The shuttle undocked from the International Space Station at 8:37 a.m. on Monday , completing a 13-day mission to outfit the space station . The nearly three-decade shuttle program is scheduled to end later this year .
NEW : The shuttle landed just before noon ET . Discovery 's first launch was August 30 , 1984 . Discovery has logged more than 148 million miles in orbit .