Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) that will transport Discovery to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia touches down at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 10, 2012.
NASA / Frankie Martin

Discovery's Taxi Arrives in Florida... At 2:35 PM, Pacific Daylight Time yesterday, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) that will transport the orbiter Discovery from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia touched down at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). In less than a week—on Tuesday, April 17—Discovery will find herself mated atop the modified Boeing 747 (the mating operation itself will take place at the SLF this Saturday) and headed onto a northwesterly direction towards our nation's capital...where Discovery and the SCA will do a quick flyover of Washington, D.C. before finally settling down at Dulles International Airport. Dulles is only a short distance away from the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is an annex of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. The official public ceremony where NASA transfers ownership of Discovery to the Smithsonian takes place on April 19.

No doubt, next week will prove to be an emotional time for long-time supporters of the space shuttle program.

The SCA that will transport Discovery to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia is about to land at KSC on April 10, 2012.
NASA / Frankie Martin

The SCA moments after it landed at KSC on April 10, 2012.
NASA / Frankie Martin

Photographers take images of the SCA as it taxis down the Shuttle Landing Facility after arriving at KSC on April 10, 2012.
NASA / Frankie Martin

The SCA approaches the Mate-Demate Device that will connect Discovery to its hull on April 14...in preparation for their April 17 flight to the Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.
NASA / Kim Shiflett
Posted by Richard Par at 12:31 AM
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