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747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)
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NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space
Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for
post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights.
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