Riding atop a modified Boeing 747, the space shuttle
Discovery recently returned to NASA's Kennedy
Space Center
in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Ten days earlier, America's oldest orbiter had landed at Edwards
Air Force Base (AFB) in California after
inclement weather prevented Discovery's direct return to Florida's
Space Coast.
Discovery's cross-country trip aboard one of NASA's two
shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA) was less dramatic than its descent from space,
but was still filled with complexity. The orbiter's two-day trek included stops
in Amarillo and Fort Worth,
Texas, where the SCA was refueled; as well as
an overnight stop at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport,
Louisiana.
The Shuttle Carrier
Aircraft (SCA)
NASA's critics sometimes note the number of stops that the
shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA) makes, but the additional drag and weight from an
orbiter limits the SCA's range to just 1,000 nautical miles (1,850 km).
Although NASA once tried equipping an SCA with aerial refueling equipment,
tests were halted after minor cracks were discovered on the plane's
tailfin.
To account for the orbiter's considerable weight, the shuttle
carrier aircraft (SCA) has been modified extensively. On the plane's main deck,
only the first class section (in the nose) isn't stripped to the bare metal.
Mounting struts and vertical stabilizers have been added, the fuselage strengthened,
and the avionics and engines upgraded.
The Mate-Demate
Device (MDD)
 NASA's mate-demate device (MDD) is a massive, gantry-like
structure that is used to mate and demate the space shuttle and the SCA. Located
at NASA's Dryden Flight
Research Center
in Edwards, California,
the MDD consists of two 100-foot towers, each with multiple vertical work-platforms.
The MDD also features a horizontal platform that cantilevers outward, guiding a
lift beam that attaches to the space shuttle.
Equipped with three hoists, the lift beam is designed to
raise and lower the orbiter. Two hoists connect to the aft portion of the beam.
The third hoist attaches to the beam's forward section. Although each hoist has
a 100,000-lb. lift capability, the total lifting capability of all three
systems when used simultaneously is 240,000 lbs.
Images from Joby Minor
Thanks to Joby Minor, a photographer who currently works
for NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, CR4 has permission to bring you
the above images of the space shuttle Discovery, the SCA, and the MDD. (All photos courtesy
of Joby Minor – copyright 2009).
Would you like to see more images of the Discovery's return to Florida? Then click here to visit the complete album on CR4_News, our
Facebook page.
Note: You don't have to belong to Facebook to view these extraordinary
photographs. But if you are a member, we invite you to become a fan of CR4_News there. Just click the "Become
a Fan" link. It's that simple.
Resources:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090921-sts128-ferryflight-home.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Carrier_Aircraft
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-014-DFRC.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery
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