Endeavour mounted atop Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

Taking the reverse course she followed when returning from spaceflights, the retired shuttle Endeavour moved Friday to Kennedy Space Center's runway complex and was mounted atop the modified Boeing 747 carrier jet for next week's ferryflight departure to California.

Emerging from a storage bay on the northwestern side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at 5:04 a.m. EDT, the orbiter passed the former mission preparation hangars, crossed State Road 3 and followed the concrete towway to the Shuttle Landing Facility apron, arriving at the Mate-Demate Device at 7:22 a.m. EDT.

The Mate-Demate Device hoisted Endeavour off the ground and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft was towed underneath to receive its spaceplane passenger. The duo was mated together at 2:41 p.m. EDT.

See our coverage of Endeavour's ferryflight.

Photo credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now

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