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Credit & Copyright: Carla Thomas,
NASA
Explanation:
How does a space shuttle that
landed in California get back
to Florida for its next
launch?
The answer is by ferry.
NASA operates two commercial
Boeing 747 airplanes modified to carry a
space shuttle on their backs.
Designated officially as
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or
SCA,
the 747s were made for commercial flights but bolstered by NASA with several struts,
stabilizers, and electronic monitors.
Spanning about 70 meters in length, the
two aircraft's combined mass is nearly 150,000 kilograms.
Pictured above, the space shuttle
Atlantis is shown being
ferried back to
NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida in September 1998.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day