KSC-2009-3456
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
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Details
NASA ID
KSC-2009-3456
Date Created
May 30, 2009
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Cape Canaveral, FL
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