Crew members in a skiff from Freedom Star will usher a spent shuttle booster through the waters of the locks.

Crew members in a skiff from Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, will usher a spent shuttle booster through the shallow waters of the locks at Port Canaveral, Fla. The booster, which was used during space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on Feb. 24, is on its way to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The shuttle’s two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky