Imagine standing on the runway, waiting as history rolls past… that’s exactly what happened when Space Shuttle Atlantis mounted on NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft prepared for its last journey. The plane sat in line, engines ready. Slowly, it taxied into position, carrying the massive shuttle on its back. And then — lift-off! The shuttle rose into the sky one last time, escorted by other planes, on its way to its forever home at Kennedy Space Center. A breathtaking farewell to a true space l

This is the last ferry flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, riding on top of NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to its retirement home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In this video, you can see the escort planes flying alongside. If you hear some unusual sounds, don’t worry — that’s not the planes! Those noises come from the escorting pilots using their oxygen masks, as they had to close their nose and mouth for air support while keeping Atlantis safe on its final journey. An incredib

April 27, 2012 — The Final Shuttle-on-a-Plane Flight On this day, history closed a beautiful chapter in spaceflight. Space Shuttle Enterprise made the last-ever journey on top of NASA’s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The iconic flight traveled from Dulles International Airport in Virginia to New York City, where Enterprise was delivered to its final home at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Crowds gathered below, watching one last time as the shuttle rode the skies instead of space. Af

This footage shows NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a specially modified Boeing 747, ferrying a Space Shuttle orbiter piggyback. The shuttle could not fly long distances on its own after landing, so NASA used these flights to move orbiters between runways, test sites, and Kennedy Space Center. | SpaceEve