Shuttle carrier aircraft piggybacking the space shuttle Endeavor - video

[Altair]

Shuttle carrier aircraft piggybacking the space shuttle Endeavor over Los Angeles. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) are two heavily modified Boeing 747 jetliners that NASA used to to ferry space shuttle orbiters.

Features that distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are:

• Three struts with associated interior structural strengthening protrude from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached.
• Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability.
• Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors.
• Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations.

More:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstro...-013-DFRC.html


Previously:

Space shuttle thermal tile - GIF and video
747 turned into flying observatory - GIF and photos
Operation Credible Sport: C-130s modified with rockets for hostage rescue