spacetoday.net: Shuttle begins cross-country flight home

Shuttle begins cross-country flight home

Posted: Wed, Dec 10, 2008, 10:06 PM ET (0306 GMT)
STS-126: shuttle and 747 take off from EAFB (NASA/DFRC)

The space shuttle Endeavour, mounted on top of a 747, began a cross-country flight back to the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Endeavour and its 747 carrier aircraft left Edwards Air Force Base in California Wednesday morning and flew to Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, and then continued on to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas, before stopping for the day. Endeavour and the 747 are expected to continue their trip back to the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, weather permitting. The ferry flight was necessitated when poor weather prevented Endeavour from landing at KSC on November 30, instead touching down at Edwards.