CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is towed toward the mate/demate device on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Once underneath the device, a hoist will lift Atlantis from the back of the SCA and place it on the ground. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date June 2, 2009