KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Shuttle Discovery lands safely at BAFB

Shuttle Discovery lands safely at BAFB

By Nick Guillory - email | bio | Twitter

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA (KSLA) - It's no simple task getting the space shuttle across the United States from Edwards Air Force Base...and back to it's home at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

First, a pathfinder DC-9 gathers critical weather information before the shuttle touches down anywhere...including Barksdale.

"Number 1 is out in front doing weather reconnaissance just making sure there's a clear path we don't want to fly this thing through rain obviously," Don McCormack said.

You're probably wondering, how does NASA get the space shuttle on top of the 747 in the first place?

"It's attached to a plane the same way its attached on to the external fuel tank during launch--the same 3 attach points," McCormack said.

NASA officials on the ground tell KSLA News 12, a mission like this one costs the organization  $1.8 million.

The shuttle made earlier re-fueling stops at the airport in Amarillo, Texas along with a stop in Fort Worth.

Wheels down at about 5:40 pm this evening, but it's just an overnight stop at Barksdale. They expect to take off tomorrow morning at about 9am.

"Team is pretty tired so I'm thinking about not even bringing them in ‘til 7 o'clock for weather briefing," he said.

So, what's it like for the pilot flying a big 747 with a nearly 200,000 pound space shuttle on top?

"It takes a little more of a challenge...that's why you have research pilots---they give us airplanes that aren't easy to fly a little more challenging and they are treated with a little more respect," Pilot Charles Justiz said.

It's a respect he said he'll miss---because with the end of the space shuttle program in the not to distance future this may be one of his last flights with the shuttle.

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