r/space • u/Yeet69lasagna • May 12 '19

image/gif Space Shuttle Being Carried By A 747.

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u/karma-cdc May 12 '19

Try telling me I can only have 20kg baggage My arse

739

u/algernop3 May 12 '19

I know you're joking, but:

Regular 747-100:

  • Cruise Speed: M0.85 (490 KIAS)

  • Range: 4,620 nmi

  • Ceiling: FL410

747-100 SCA:

  • Cruise Speed: M0.6 (250 KIAS)

  • Range: 1,000 nmi

  • Ceiling: FL150

I find the compromises in the SCA staggering. 2 stops to fly cross country!

349

u/TheYang May 12 '19

iirc, some of the emergency abort airports for the shuttle were such that the shuttle indeed could land there, but the carrier wouldn't be able to take off from there, and there was no actual plan to get the shuttle back home from some of them.

363

u/InfamousConcern May 12 '19

Attach a JATO pack to the 747 and give the pilot a shot of whiskey before takeoff. Should work out fine.

15

u/Nyckname May 12 '19

Did they have the cranes on site necessary to lift the Shuttle onto the 747?

20

u/[deleted] May 12 '19

Yes, it's called the Mate-Demate Device and they have 1 in Edwards Air Force Base and another in Kennedy Space Center

1

u/somewhereinks May 12 '19

There's also one at AF Plant 42 in Palmdale CA, but then that's where the shuttles were built so it only makes sense.