moving a space shuttle

[LordyGeordie]

Now that the space shuttle Discovery has landed safely back in California how do NASA propose to get it back to Florida.

Assuming NASA solves its problems and space shuttle flights are allowed again it will need to get back to cape canaveral on the other side of the country. had it landed where it was originally planned to, it would already be there.

the shuttle can't take off and land like a normal plane (i think) and is surely too big for the road so it's going to take some engineering feat to get it back to florida.

any ideas how it's achieved?

[Fitzer]

Well they've done it before as I'm sure it's landed at Edwards on various occasions. NASA have a special 747 that the shuttle rides on the back of, they toured it round Europe to various airshows in the '80s (IIRC). Never found out how they got it on or off of the Jumbo though.

[Fitzer]

See link http://www.edwards.af.mil/archive/2002/2002-archive-piggyback.html for info

[sddsddean]

And here it is in flight http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0308/shuttle747_nasa_big.jpg

[brachiopod]

This (riding piggy-back on a 747) was how they tested the original Shuttle's flight / landing capabilities prior to its first ever launch.

I remember news footage at the time of it being tipped off the back of a Jumbo at 35,000 feet (or so) and having to make its own way down.

[ianess]

Apparently the "piggy-back" arrangement is only allowed to fly in perfect weather conditions and in daylight.   Because of the weight it has to stop at least twice to be refuelled on the ground.  It must be quite a job even just lifting the thing onto the jumbo.  Also takes another chunk out of NASA's budget when it doesn't land at home in Florida.

[twiglet4frog]

they will piggyback it on a 747 (although dont know how they get it on the back) and it is a specially designed 747 that is built soley for the purpose for that job, it isnt like any other 747.

The cost according to a nasa spokesperson, for piggybacking it to florida will be approx $1 million which isnt too much considering the overall cost of the mission is closer to $900 million but could have still saved them the $1 million if the weather was a sunny day in florida! Expensive thunderstorm!

[ianess]

Click for latest info. 

[ianess]

And again for today's update.