Endeavour Finally Mounted On 747 Carrier Aircraft

The orbiter Endeavour now is bolted atop a 747 carrier aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base and NASA is keeping close tabs on the weather, hoping to begin a crosscountry trip back to Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.

Windy weather at the Mojave Desert military base stalled the mating operation on Monday, but the winged spaceship finally was fixed to attach points on top of the modified aircraft at 5:16 a.m. EST -- deep in the overnight hours Pacific time.

The plan now is to take off at sunrise Wednesday -- or 9:29 a.m. EST. Weather permitting, the 747 and Endeavour would fly to a half-way point and then remain overnight. The earliest arrival at KSC in that case would be late in the morning on Thursday.

NASA had hoped to get the trip under way Sunday, but rainy weather in the southwest U.S. prompted an initial delay. Then the high winds kicked up in California's high desert.

Endeavour and seven astronauts landed Nov. 30 on Runway 04 at Edwards. Stiff crosswinds and approaching storms prompted NASA to forego two landing opportunities at KSC. The landing at Edwards was the 52nd in 124 shuttle missions to date.

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Click to enlarge the NASA image of United Space Alliance technicians fixing an aerodynamic tailcone around the aft end of the orbiter Endeavour. The tailcone reduces aerodynamic drag on a 747 carrier aircraft and the spaceship during crosscountry trips back to Kennedy Space Center.