On 7/18/74, @NASA bought a @Boeing 747-123 from @AmericanAir for ~$15.6 million. According to NASA, “At the time of purchase, the aircraft had logged about 9,000 flight hours.”
It’s pictured here shortly after conversion in this #NASA photo. #OnThisDay
The red, white, & blue paint stripes from the @AmericanAir livery was even left in place. The NASA Worm logo was added on the tail. More historical pictures can be seen here:
nasa.gov/content/sca-hi…
#TheWormisBack
@NASA notes the SCA had an airspeed limit of 250 knots or Mach 0.6. Its cruise altitude with an orbiter was 13,000-15,000 ft. While carrying the Shuttle, it had a 1,000 nautical mile range, plus margin for safety. The Shuttle #Atlantis is seen here 7/1/07. 📷 NASA/Carla Thomas
The Shuttle Carrier aircraft ferried the Shuttle fleet around the country. The first SCA was also used in the Approach and Landing tests, which validated the aerodynamics and handling of the Shuttle. #aviation #space #Boeing747
@EmilyLCarney has a great piece on the tests & astronaut Fred Haise, one of the pilots of the Shuttle Enterprise. space.nss.org/approaches-and… #space #spaceshuttle #NASA
It’s sad to see airlines like @British_Airways retiring the #Boeing747 for smaller aircraft. This majestic bird will always have a place in the history books. Godspeed to the crews that have flown all of the 747s for NASA and commercial carriers. #AvGeek #aviation
Read more about the history of the program in this engineering record. nasa.gov/sites/default/… #aviation #aviationhistory
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