Two spent shuttle solid rocket boosters await inspection and cleaning at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Two spent shuttle solid rocket boosters await inspection and cleaning near Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The boosters were used during space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on Feb. 24. The booster casings and associated flight hardware were recovered in the Atlantic Ocean by retrieval ships Liberty Star and Freedom 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/Jack Pfaller