Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

E837368
NASA transport aircraft Shuttle Carrier Aircraft aircraft type

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft were modified Boeing 747 airliners used by NASA to transport Space Shuttle orbiters on their backs between landing sites, test locations, and launch facilities.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form Occurrences
NASA 905 0
NASA 911 0
Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA transport aircraft ⓘ
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
aircraft type ⓘ
acquiredByNASA 1974 ⓘ
1989 ⓘ
basedOn Boeing 747 airliner NERFINISHED ⓘ
Boeing 747-100 NERFINISHED ⓘ
Boeing 747-100SR NERFINISHED ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
designedFor carrying Space Shuttle orbiter on fuselage top ⓘ
developedBy Boeing in cooperation with NASA NERFINISHED ⓘ
displayLocationExample Space Center Houston NERFINISHED ⓘ
enteredServiceWithNASA 1974 ⓘ
feature additional instrumentation ⓘ
attachment struts for orbiter ⓘ
reduced passenger interior ⓘ
strengthened fuselage ⓘ
vertical stabilizer endplate fins ⓘ
finalRole display at Space Center Houston NERFINISHED ⓘ
hasVariant NASA 905 NERFINISHED ⓘ
NASA 911 NERFINISHED ⓘ
launchAbortSupport relocation of orbiters after transatlantic or alternate landing ⓘ
manufacturer Boeing ⓘ
Boeing ⓘ
maxFerrySpeedWithOrbiter approximately Mach 0.6 ⓘ
notableMission ferry of Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex ⓘ
ferry of Columbia between Kennedy Space Center and Edwards Air Force Base ⓘ
ferry of Discovery to Washington Dulles International Airport for museum display ⓘ
ferry of Endeavour to Los Angeles for museum display ⓘ
transport of Enterprise for Approach and Landing Tests ⓘ
numberBuilt 2 ⓘ
operator NASA ⓘ
primaryUser NASA NERFINISHED ⓘ
registrationExample N905NA NERFINISHED ⓘ
N911NA NERFINISHED ⓘ
retired 2012 ⓘ
2012 ⓘ
servicePeriod 2012 ⓘ
late 1970s ⓘ
status retired ⓘ
subclassOf Boeing 747 variant NERFINISHED ⓘ
successorInRole overland transport by road for retired orbiters ⓘ
typicalFerryAltitudeWithOrbiter 15000 feet GENERATED ⓘ
20000 feet GENERATED ⓘ
usedFor approach and landing tests support ⓘ
ferry flights between landing sites and launch facilities ⓘ
transporting Space Shuttle orbiters ⓘ
usedInProgram Space Shuttle program NERFINISHED ⓘ

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Enterprise → carriedBy → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
Space Shuttle Enterprise → carriedOn → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
Space Shuttle Enterprise → ferryFlightCarrier → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
Fitzhugh L. Fulton Jr. → notableAircraftFlown → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
this entity surface form: NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Space Shuttle approach and landing tests → uses → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
Space Shuttle approach and landing tests → uses → Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ⓘ
this entity surface form: Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft