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Typo found on 42-year-old spaceship ↦
Publication: Six Colors
Author: Jason Snell
Source published: 29/10/2026, 13:40:40 UTC
Briefing created: 29/10/2026, 14:06:59 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 29/10/2026, 13:46:24 UTC.
Briefings
A 42-year-old space shuttle named Discovery was found to have an upside-down 's' in its name text on the starboard side, contradicting long-standing reliability records. The shuttle flew for 27 years, completed 39 missions, and traveled 150 million miles, yet the error went unnoticed by astronauts and NASA. This discovery challenges the historical perception of the shuttle as the most reliable orbiter. The article notes the name was originally 'Discovery' but was later changed to 'Discovery S' to avoid confusion with the letter 's' in 'space'.
Key points
- The space shuttle Discovery was identified with an upside-down 's' in its name text on the starboard side, despite being the most reliable orbiter with 39 missions and 150 million miles traveled.
- The name was originally 'Discovery' but was changed to 'Discovery S' to avoid confusion with the letter 's' in 'space', yet the error remained unnoticed for 27 years.
Context
The space shuttle Discovery was the most reliable orbiter with 39 missions and 150 million miles traveled, yet an upside-down 's' in its name went unnoticed for 27 years. The name was originally 'Discovery' but was changed to 'Discovery S' to avoid confusion with the letter 's' in 'space'.
Limitations
Evidence is limited to a single article snippet from 2026. No specific date of the error's discovery is provided, nor is the exact location of the text on the shuttle confirmed beyond 'starboard side name text'. The article does not provide details on the specific mechanism of the error or the astronauts' reaction beyond shock.
Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 29/10/2026, 14:06:59 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.
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