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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the wheels of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Atlantis secured to its back, contact runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3392

The NASA Orion test capsule is loaded into a C-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger Atlantis near touchdown on the runway at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after a three-day trip from California. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California to end mission STS-117. The return to KSC began July 1 and took three days after stops across the country for fuel. The last stop was at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. Weather conditions over the last leg postponed the return trip until July 3. Atlantis will be removed from the back of the SCA via the mate/demate device at the SLF. It will then be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin processing for its next launch, mission STS-122 in December. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1729

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With its drag chute trailing behind, orbiter Discovery and its crew land on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. Main gear touchdown was at 2:22:58 p.m. EDT; wheel stop, at 2:24:06 p.m. EDT. The 11-day, 21-hour, 12-minute STS-105 mission accomplished the goals set for the 11th flight to the International Space Station: swapout of the resident Station crew; delivery of equipment, supplies and scientific experiments; and installation of the Early Ammonia Servicer and heater cables for the S0 truss on the Station. Discovery traveled 4.3 million miles on its 30th flight into space, the 106th mission of the Space Shuttle program. The landing was the first of five in 2001 to occur in daylight at KSC KSC-01pp1507

U.S. Air Force Maj. Kiel Gilliland pilots a C-17 Globemaster

NASA SOFIA, Dryden history gallery

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The MDD is located at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The shuttle will be lifted and connected to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-5134

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II receives a complete

S131E008942 - STS-131 - Earth Observations

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis near touchdown on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3390

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the wheels of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Atlantis secured to its back, contact runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3392

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the wheels of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Atlantis secured to its back, near contact with NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3391

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis are ready to land on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-3387

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, space shuttle Atlantis returns home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center secured atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. Touchdown on runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3394

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, space shuttle Atlantis returns home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center secured atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. Touchdown on runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3393

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Edwards Air Force Base in California, a sling in the mate/demate device suspends space shuttle Atlantis above the ground. A Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, will be moved underneath and Atlantis bolted to the top of the modified Boeing 747. A tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during its piggyback flight, can be seen. Atlantis landed at Edwards on May 24, which concluded mission STS-125, after two landing opportunities at Kennedy were waved off due to weather concerns. Atlantis is being returned to Florida on a ferry flight on the SCA. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky KSC-2009-3456

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Edwards Air Force Base in California, space shuttle Atlantis is fitted with a tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during its piggyback flight on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747. Atlantis landed at Edwards on May 24, which concluded mission STS-125, after two landing opportunities at Kennedy were waved off due to weather concerns. Atlantis is being returned to Florida on a ferry flight on the SCA. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky KSC-2009-3449

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, space shuttle Atlantis, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is towed from the runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3431

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis lands on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-3388

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis lands on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

The Space Shuttle program was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA and officially beginning in 1972. The Space Shuttle system—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank— carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and lands as a glider. Although the concept had been explored since the late 1960s, the program formally commenced in 1972 and was the focus of NASA's manned operations after the final Apollo and Skylab flights in the mid-1970s. It started with the launch of the first shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, on STS-1. and finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.

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sca ferry flight kennedy space center cape canaveral trip california carrier aircraft shuttle carrier aircraft sca piggyback passenger atlantis lands piggyback passenger space shuttle atlantis lands nasa kennedy space center runway facility runway jetliner visible tail cone tail cone engine engine area dimension edwards air force base sts mission sts ferry ferry flight touchdown jack pfaller air force space shuttle nasa boeing 747 shuttle carrier boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft sca high resolution public domain aircraft photos boeing aircrafts nasa
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02/06/2009
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label_outline Explore Sca Ferry Flight, Engine Area, Dimension

Carrying a wounded man down to an ambulance, Flanders

EDWARDS, Calif. – Against a setting sun, space shuttle Endeavour undergoes recovery operations on Edwards Air Force Base in California after its landing. The orbiter convoy normally begins recovery operations in earnest about two hours before the shuttle is scheduled to land. Specially designed vehicles or units and a team of trained personnel “safe” the orbiter and prepare it for towing. Purge and Coolant Umbilical Access Vehicles are moved into position behind the orbiter to get access to the umbilical areas. The flight crew is replaced aboard the orbiter by exchange sup¬port personnel who prepare the orbiter for ground tow operations, install switch guards and remove data packages from any onboard experiments. After a total safety downgrade, vehicle ground personnel make numerous preparations for the towing operation, including install¬ing landing gear lock pins, disconnecting the nose landing gear drag link, positioning the towing vehicle in front of the orbiter and connecting the tow bar. The decision to land Endeavour at Edwards was made due to weather concerns at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the 52nd landing at Edwards, Endeavour touched down at 4:25 p.m. EST to end the STS-126 mission, completing its 16-day journey of more than 6.6 million miles in space. Endeavour will be returned to Kennedy atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Landis, VAFB KSC-08pd3887

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, platforms on the mate-demate device surround space shuttle Endeavour as preparations are made to roll the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, to which the shuttle is secured away from the structure. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era. For more information on the shuttles' transition and retirement, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-5251

Maintenance personnel watch as an F-15E Strike Eagle, 366th Air Expeditionary Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, taxies from its parking spot at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Visible is part of the aircrafts load, a rack of GBU-12 500-pound bombs with CCG MAU-169 guidance system, and the LANTRIN Navigation and Targeting System pods. The aircraft is preparing for its first bombing mission into Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar

Public domain stock image. Waves wavy blue, backgrounds textures.

A couple of toads sitting on top of a tree branch. Piggyback toad frog.

Homesteader returning from work in the Dimension lumber plant. Tygart Valley Homesteads, West Virginia

Under the F-15E Strike Eagle, 366th Air Expeditionary Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, with a maintainer looking on, the crewchief makes final check while in contact with the pilot via hard-line. Visible is part of the aircrafts load, a rack of GBU-12 500-pound bombs with CCG MAU-169 guidance system, and one of the LANTRIN Navigation and Targeting System pods. The aircraft is preparing for its first bombing mission into Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar

Public domain stock image. Orb abstract purple.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD is located at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The shuttle will be lifted and connected to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-5063

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations are under way to tow the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the mate-demate device for mating with space shuttle Discovery. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a Boeing 747 jet originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discovery’s new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2012-2191

Bert Reales measuring the outside dimension of a pulley on his lathe.

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sca ferry flight kennedy space center cape canaveral trip california carrier aircraft shuttle carrier aircraft sca piggyback passenger atlantis lands piggyback passenger space shuttle atlantis lands nasa kennedy space center runway facility runway jetliner visible tail cone tail cone engine engine area dimension edwards air force base sts mission sts ferry ferry flight touchdown jack pfaller air force space shuttle nasa boeing 747 shuttle carrier boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft sca high resolution public domain aircraft photos boeing aircrafts nasa