Aircraft Operations

Various aircraft taking off from runways, including military planes, commercial airliners, and shuttle transports at different locations.

Airplanes taxi on a sunlit runway as one prepares for takeoff against a backdrop of clear skies and distant clouds, showcasing a busy scene at the airport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA, takes off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules takes off at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal, Northern Territory, Australia, Aug. 17, 2022. The C-130J is capable of operating from austere runways and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.

DF-ST-86-09243. Base: Patrick Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-ST-86-12035. Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Two T-6A Texan II take off from the runway at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 5, 2022. Laughlin's mission continues to be training the military's finest and most lethal pilots.

The Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft has arrived at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Attached beneath the Stargazer is the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL with NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) on board. CYGNSS was processed and prepared for its mission at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is scheduled for its airborne launch aboard the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip on Dec. 12. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

An aeroplane, Sweden.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery, mounted to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, prepares for takeoff on the runway of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The duo is set to begin their 3 1/2 hour ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia at about 7 a.m. EDT. Above the two craft is a NASA helicopter covering the departure. Discovery is leaving Kennedy after more than 28 years of service beginning with its arrival on the space coast Nov. 9, 1983. Discovery first launched to space Aug. 30, 1984, on the STS-41D mission. Discovery is the agency's most-flown shuttle with 39 missions, more than 148 million miles and a total of one year in space. Discovery is set to move to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19 where it will be placed on public display.

DN-SC-89-00480. Base: Naval Air Station, Moffett Field State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour takes to the clouds over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:22 a.m. EDT mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, rolls down the runway at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. The SCA touched down at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17.

aircraft on final approach to the airport, edmonton, alberta, canada

Start eines Eurofighter Mehrzweckkampfflugzeug der Luftwaffe Bundeswehr. Aufgenommen im Rahmen der Uebung Rapid Viking 2023 in Island. Keflavik, 03.08.2023

A KC-46A Pegasus assigned to the 916th Air Refueling Wing lands on Sep. 29, 2022, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The aircraft was one of nine sent out of an abundance of caution from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, before hurricane Ian landed there.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA, flies over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

On July 26, 2000 the P-1 truss arrived at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility aboard its "Super Guppy" transport. The P-1 truss, scheduled to fly in spring of 2002, is part of a total 10-truss, girder-like structure that will ultimately extend the length of a football field. Astronauts will attach the 14-by-15 foot structure to the port side of the center truss, SO, during the spring assembly flight. The 33,000-pound P-1 will house the thermal radiator rotating joint (TRRJ) that will rotate the International Space Stations radiators away from the sun to increase their maximum cooling efficiency

NASAs F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron takes off at Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 3, 2022. Team Kadena regularly conducts flying operations to hone U.S. Airmens readiness to defend Japan and maintain peace and security across the Indo-Pacific region.

Taking off aircraft - Airport International, AirportDuesseldorf, Condor, airline, charter plane, Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-128. Hurricane Katrina

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-165. Hurricane Katrina

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis are ready to land on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight. 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. Touchdown at Kennedy was at 6:53 p.m. EDT.

Northrop Grumman's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft descends toward the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Oct. 1, 2019. The company's Pegasus XL rocket, containing NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), is attached beneath the aircraft. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

Smoke from the jets wheels after landing on the tarmac, Nome Airport, Arctic Alaska

041016-F-9429S-038. Base: Alpena State: Michigan (MI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA, is airborne at 7:22 a.m. EDT from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 169th Fighter Wing conduct a foreign object damage walk on the taxiway and runway at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Feb. 3, 2023, in preparation for the return of the unit's F-16 fighter jets that have been temporarily operating out of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in West Columbia, due to major runway renovations at McEntire JNGB. The FOD walk is a significant part of the final phases of the runway reconstruction project that began in April, 2022. Pictured is a photomerge of three images.

A NASA F-18 jet takes off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Barcelona, 09/09/2021. Airplanes on the runway of El Prat airport. Airport expansion. Photo: Inés Baucells. ARCHDC.

KWAJALEIN ATOLL, S. Pacific - The Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft arrives at Kwajalein Atoll Oct. 12, 2008, with the Pegasus XL rocket and the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX. The two-day ferry flight began from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Oct. 11. After an overnight stopover in Hawaii, the ferry flight to the South Pacific continued. Launch of IBEX aboard the Pegasus XL rocket successfully occurred over the Pacific Ocean Oct. 19 at a location 125 miles north of Kwajalein.

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-130. Hurricane Katrina

XV-15 Tilt Rotor (NASA-703) hovers at Ames Research Center

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft takes off from the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, secured inside the Super Guppy, will be transported to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility for testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the parachute on a Starfighters, Inc. F-104 supersonic jet, piloted by Rick Svetkoff, deploys after conducting a high speed taxi test. Hidden from the camera on the right side of the jet is the Star Lab suborbital launch vehicle developed by 4Frontiers Corporation. 4Frontiers is testing the Star Lab suborbital launch vehicle which has the potential to carry payloads into low earth orbit. Tests are being conducted to verify the aeronautical conditions of the Star Lab suborbital launch vehicle. This is the first of eight tests the launch vehicle will undergo. 4Frontiers Corporation is aiming for testing to be completed by early 2012, with commercial flights starting mid-2012. Starfighters, Inc. has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for the use of the SLF facilities at Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Weather cooperating on the third attempt, space shuttle Endeavour takes off from the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:22 a.m. EDT mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's Super Guppy airplane, with the International Space Station's (ISS) S1 truss aboard, arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility from Marshall Space Flight Center. Manufactured by the Boeing Co. in Huntington Beach, Calif., this component of the ISS is the first starboard (right-side) truss segment, whose main job is providing structural support for the orbiting research facility's radiator panels that cool the Space Station's complex power system. The S1 truss segment also will house communications systems, external experiment positions and other subsystems. Primarily constructed of aluminum, the truss segment is 45 feet long, 15 feet wide and 6 feet tall. When fully outfitted, it will weigh 31,137 pounds. The truss is slated for flight in 2001. The Super Guppy, with its 25-foot diameter fuselage designed to handle oversized loads, is well prepared to transport the truss and other ISS segments. Loading the Guppy is easy because of the unique "fold-awa

Wing of plane

Overall elevated view of airport complex. Manchester Airport, Manchester, United Kingdom. Architect: n/a, 2015.

unidentified plane on landing approach at amsterdam airport

Private airplane on runway

Aircraft on landing approach, Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, North America

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With dust flying in the strong crosswinds at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility, a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, carrying the orbiter Columbia on its back, lands on runway 33. Columbia arrives Facility after a protracted trip from California that began March 1. Unfavorable weather conditions kept it on the ground at Dyess AFB, Texas, until it could return to Florida on March 5 when it landed at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip. Columbia had to wait for the orbiter Atlantis which had completed a ferry flight to KSC on March 5 to be towed from the SLF before making the final hop to KSC. Columbia is returning from a 17-month-long modification and refurbishment process as part of a routine maintenance plan. The orbiter will next fly on mission STS-107, scheduled Oct. 25

Arriving and departing aircrafts with airfield. Manchester Airport, Manchester, United Kingdom. Architect: n/a, 2015.

A U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft approaches the runway for landing at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft aboard. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

JUNO - CENTAUR STAGE ARRIVAL

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home lifts off the runway at 7 a.m. EDT just after daybreak.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 scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With drag chute unfurled, space shuttle Discovery lands on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 15 days in space, completing the more than 6.2-million-mile STS-131 mission on orbit 238. Main gear touchdown was at 9 08 35 a.m. EDT followed by nose gear touchdown at 9 08 47 a.m. and wheelstop at 9 09 33 a.m. Aboard are Commander Alan Poindexter; Pilot James P. Dutton Jr.; and Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also switched out a gyroscope on the stations truss, installed a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieved a Japanese experiment from the stations ex

Italy, Roma, 2022-04-14. Tourism through the city of Rome, the Italian capital, with its monuments and archaeological sites.Italie, Rome, le 2022-04-14. Tourisme a travers la ville de Rome, capitale italienne, entre ses monuments et ses sites archeologiques.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, touched down at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17.This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the final ferry mission. Endeavour will be placed on permanent public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Airbus 320 airplane taking off from the Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Florida.

Landing airplane, orio al serio, Italy

Followed by an A-7 Corsair aircraft, a T-45A Goshawk aircraft rolls down the runaway, its jet engines leaving a trail of hot exhaust. The T-45A, which is capable of landing aboard aircraft carriers, will be used for intermediate and advanced student pilot training, replacing the T-2C Buckeye and TA-4J Skyhawk trainer aircraft. The Navy will eventually procure about 300 Goshawks. Base: Natc, Patuxent River State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Microlight plane, airplane, over landscape, Fly Ranch, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Markings on runway

Baggage cars at an airport terminal.

Air Force Two is seen as it arrives at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of the launch of Artemis I, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated flight test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. The launch director halted todays launch attempt at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET.

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-155. Hurricane Katrina

pair of small aircrafts

Aeroplane flying over telephone towers

Photos from Aviation Training Center, Mobile - 26-HK-422-58. Hurricane Katrina

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Pilot Barry E. Wilmore practice touch-and-go landings in a Shuttle Training Aircraft in preparation for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission.The Shuttle Training Aircraft is a Gulfstream II jet, modified to handle like the space shuttle. On STS-129, the crew will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is set for Nov. 16.

A TC-4C Academe aircraft assigned to Attack Squadron 42 (VA-42) rolls along the runway past a P-19 aircraft firefighting and rescue truck. The Academe is used in the training of A-6E Intruder aircraft bombardier/navigators. Base: Naval Air Station, Oceana State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

XV-15 (NASA-703) Evaluation Flight @ Ames; Above Title and Helicopter Mode

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II flies over Tyler, Texas, June 30, 2022. The A-10 Demonstration Team travels to shows around the country, as well as internationally, to highlight the combat capabilities of the A-10. The mission of the team is to recruit, retain and inspire.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 lands on the runway at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after its test flight. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility.

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-106. Hurricane Katrina

Lufthansa Boeing 737 airplane takes off at Munich airport, Germany.

Aerial view private airplane parked on tarmac at airport

View of the Shuttle Landing Facility

airshow hosted by MFA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a convoy of vehicles accompanies the Project Morpheus prototype lander as it is transported to a launch platform at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - With its drag chute flowing behind it, the orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 15 at NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility, completing mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. At touchdown -- nominally about 2,500 ft. beyond the runway threshold -- the orbiter is traveling at a speed ranging from 213 to 226 mph. Discovery traveled 5.3 million miles, landing on orbit 202. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds. Main gear touchdown occurred on time at 9:14:43 EDT. Wheel stop was at 9:15:49 EDT. The returning crew members aboard are Commander Steven Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialists Piers Sellers, Michael Fossum, Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson. Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter, who launched with the crew on July 4, remained on the station to join the Expedition 13 crew there. The landing is the 62nd at Kennedy Space Center and the 32nd for Discovery. During the mission, the STS-121 crew tested new equ

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, touched down at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17.This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the final ferry mission. Endeavour will be placed on permanent public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Helo Air Station - 26-HK-147-88. Hurricane Katrina

A 325th Fighter Wing F-22A Raptor takes off for a mission Oct. 28 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. A squadron of the wings Raptors have been at Eglin since Hurricane Michael devastated Tyndall Air Force Base in 2018.

Two new Airbus H135 (T3) helicopters arrive at the Launch and Landing Facility runway at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 30, 2020. The H135 helicopters will replace the Bell Huey 2 security aircraft in service now, maintained by Kennedys Flight Operations team. These new helicopters provide a number of technological and safety advantages over the Hueys, such as more lifting power, greater stability in the air, and expanded medical capabilities. The team expects to fully transition to flying the two H135s later this year. A third is expected to arrive in early 2021, and with its arrival, will complete the fleets upgrade.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Led by the Convoy Command Center, Atlantis is towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The command center is the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center after a shuttle landing, to monitor the health of the shuttle orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis landed on Runway 33 at 6:21:30 a.m. EDT after the 11-day, 19-hour, 6-minute mission STS-115 to the International Space Station. Atlantis traveled 4.9 million miles, landing on orbit 187. During the mission, astronauts delivered and installed the massive P3/P4 truss, an integral part of the station's backbone, and two sets of solar arrays that will eventually provide one quarter of the station's power. In the OPF, the process flow will begin to ready the vehicle for its next flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida finds the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft that is transporting space shuttle Discovery to its new home taxiing down the runway, preparing for takeoff.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 scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform an aerial demonstration during the Shaw Air and Space Expo at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, April 3, 2022. The expo featured 12 aerial acts and 10 static display aircraft, as well as other attractions and displays, which attracted more than 55,000 attendees.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With drag chute deployed, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 33 at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:07:59 a.m. EDT Aug. 19 to complete the 11-day, 20-hour and 27-minute-long STS-85 mission. At the controls are Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and Pilot Kent V. Rominger. The first landing opportunity on Aug. 18 was waved off due to the potential for ground fog. Also onboard the orbiter are Payload Commander N. Jan Davis, Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson and Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason. During the 86th Space Shuttle mission, the crew deployed the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the AtmosphereShuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer to conduct research on the Earths middle atmosphere, retrieving it on flight day 9. The crew also conducted investigations with the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), Technology Applications and Science-1 (T

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the early morning hours at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery secured atop, takes off from runway 15 at 7 a.m. EDT. The SCA will deliver Discovery to 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 scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

With Commander Kevin Kregel and Pilot Steven Lindsey at the controls, the orbiter Columbia, with its drag chute deployed, touches its main gear down on Runway 33 at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:20:04 a.m. EST Dec. 5 to complete the 15-day, 16-hour and 34-minute-long STS-87 mission of 6.5 million miles. Also onboard the orbiter are Mission Specialists Winston Scott; Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D.; and Takao Doi, Ph.D., of the National Space Development Agency of Japan; along with Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine. During the 88th Space Shuttle mission, the crew performed experiments on the United States Microgravity Payload-4 and pollinated plants as part of the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment. This was the 12th landing for Columbia at KSC and the 41st KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A bird escorts space shuttle Atlantis toward Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 8:48 a.m. EDT, completing the 12-day STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. The six-member STS-132 crew carried the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. STS-132 is the 34th shuttle mission to the station, the 132nd shuttle mission overall and the last planned flight for Atlantis.

Caption: NASA's Super Guppy aircraft arrives to the U.S. Armys Redstone Airfield in Huntsville, Alabama, April 2, to pick up flight hardware for NASAs Space Launch System - its new, deep-space rocket that will enable astronauts to begin their journey to explore destinations far into the solar system. The Guppy will depart on Tuesday, April 3 to deliver the Orion stage adapter to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for flight preparations. On Exploration Mission-1, the first integrated flight of the SLS and the Orion spacecraft, the adapter will connect Orion to the rocket and carry 13 CubeSats as secondary payloads.

An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer touches down at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The aircraft carried a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, for launch. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket was released at 8:37 a.m. EST. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine ignited and boosted the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes.

STS079-S-021 (26 Sept. 1996) --- The drag chute on the space shuttle Atlantis is fully deployed as the orbiter rolls down Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), bringing an end to the successful ten-day mission. Landing occurred at 8:13:15 a.m. (EDT), Sept. 26, 1996. The touchdown marked the end of 188 days in space for astronaut Shannon W. Lucid, following her in-space exchange with astronaut John E. Blaha, who is now aboard Russia's Mir Space Station. Returning along with Lucid were her STS-79 crew mates - astronauts William F. Readdy, commander; Terrence W. Wilcutt, pilot; and Thomas D. Akers, Jerome (Jay) Apt and Carl E. Walz, mission specialists.

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