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The space shuttle Discovery’s return trip to Cape Canaveral has provided fortunate NASA fans in Texas with a convenient photo opportunity during a scheduled refuelling stop.
Homeward bound. Image: NASA.
Piggybacking atop a specially customised Boeing 747 airliner, the shuttle’s coast-to-coast journey from Edwards Air Force Base in California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida became something of an event for a large gathering of enthusiasts when it touched down at the Amarillo International Airport on Sunday.
Once safely refuelled, the shuttle departed Amarillo’s airport and headed for an overnight stay at the Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana. The costly and time-consuming trip is expected to arrive in Florida on Monday.
Such return flights aboard the modified Shuttle Carrier Aircraft reportedly cost the U.S. space administration some $1.8 million USD and require a week of operational time to complete.
NASA’s Discovery vehicle was forced to make a landing at the Edwards Air Force back-up strip on September 11 when poor weather conditions prevented its scheduled arrival in Florida following a supply and maintenance run to the International Space Station.
The Tech Herald: Discovery ends ISS mission in Mojave Desert
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