Discovery Readied to Mate to Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is positioned beneath space shuttle Discovery in the mate-demate device. Discovery will be lowered and mated to the aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on April 17. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA.

The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The 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 National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.