Atlantis transported by a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

Schematic 3-view

A Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is one of two modified Boeing 747 jetliners that NASA uses to transport a space shuttle orbiter. They were originally manufactured for American Airlines and still carried visible American markings while testing the Enterprise in the 1970s. One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttles from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry -like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights.

In Soviet service, the Antonov An-225 'Cossack' performed the same role.

See also

• Captive carry