KSC-2009-5152

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery on top, rolls on runway 33 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after touchdown at 12:05 p.m. EDT. The two-day return flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California began at 9:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 20. After three fueling stops that included an overnight stay in Louisiana, the piggybacked shuttle had to navigate through a line of showers across Louisiana and around Kennedy. Discovery had landed at Edwards Sept. 11 after the 13-day STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle delivered more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the station. Landings at Kennedy were waved off on two days due to inclement weather, leading to the landing at Edwards. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller