Space Shuttle Atlantis Leaves Edwards AFB

Edwards, Calif. -- This morning, between 7 and 8 a.m., I watched from my home as the Space Shuttle Atlantis began its journey from NASA/Dryden Space Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Boeing 747 carrying the shuttle took off shortly after 7 a.m., but was so careful in its climb that by the time it was visible from my vantage point a few miles from the flight line, it was closer to 8 a.m. It was an incredible sight, watching a shuttle that had been in space be carried by another aircraft to get home. Seeing that Atlantis - a craft that is strong enough to break gravity's hold and durable enough to withstand the friction of re-entry into our atmosphere - needed the assistance of a slightly modified version of the planes we ride in here on earth to get to Florida was humbling.

The space shuttle landed on Edwards Air Force base early in the morning on May 24, and remained in a hanger near the Dryden Space Center until this morning in the hopes that the weather conditions around Cape Canaveral would clear up enough to send it home. Atlantis is piggybacking its way across the country on the top of a modified Boeing 747 known as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It was loaded onto its host plane sometime this morning, using a sort of elevator system that lifts the shuttle off the ground and extends it over the carrying rig on the plane. A specialized cone was placed over the jet engines of Atlantis to make it more aerodynamic for the flight before it was loaded onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

When I saw the aircraft, it was moving very slowly and carefully across the sky, gaining altitude as it went with a small jet aircraft flying close behind it as an escort. It is my understanding that they were flying to and have landed at Biggs Army Airfield near El Paso, Texas where they will spend the night. They hope to complete the journey tomorrow if the weather over Florida permits a safe landing. Because of the piggyback style of this flight, they have to be extremely cautious of any weather conditions to make sure that the shuttle is not harmed during its transition.

Atlantis was carrying the team that conducted the final repairs to the famous Hubble Telescope. Astronomers have used the Hubble Telescope for the last 19 years to get clearer views of the universe. This repair mission not only fixed things that had been damaged by time, but also upgraded some of the components making the apparatus even more helpful to astronomers.

Now that Atlantis is safely on its way home, NASA is turning its attention to the next planned launch, which is scheduled for sometime later this month. That launch will include the Space Shuttle Endeavour and will be headed to the International Space Station. To those astronauts, who have recently return: Welcome Home. To those leaving this month: Good Luck.

NASA, Latest Shuttle News: Ferry Flight Update, NASA
NASA, Mission Accomplished: Leaving Hubble Better Than Ever, NASA