
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery, accompanied by a T-38 jet, flies over Cocoa Beach just after sunrise, giving Brevard County residents the opportunity to see the shuttle for the last time before it leaves the Space Coast for its new home. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is ferrying Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia today, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center around April 19. 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/R. D. Lee
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NASA ID
KSC-2012-2380
Date Created
April 17, 2012
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Cape Canaveral, FL
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