Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour Set For Piggyback Ride

The orbiter Endeavour is set to take off on a piggyback ride back toward Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, one that will take the spaceship and a 747 carrier aircraft from coast to coast.

But it appears that a cold front traveling in advance of one of the world's largest biplanes might delay the final leg of the two-day return trip from Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The earliest the 747 and Endeavour might arrive back on the Space Coast is mid- to late-afternoon on Thursday.

But "it doesn't look promising right now," said KSC spokesman George Diller.

The same cold front that stalled ferry flight preparations at Edwards is moving east, and Diller said meteorologists expect it to be in the southeast U.S. by Thursday. That could effectively block the path for the 747 and the shuttle orbiter because NASA flight rules prohibit flying through rain or clouds.

Consequently, a Friday arrival might be more likely, Diller said.

The 747 and Endeavour are scheduled to depart Edwards at 10 a.m. EST, and the take-off might be televised live on NASA TV. If so, we'll webcast the event live here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of the page to launch our NASA TV viewer and live coverage of the departure.

The weather is expected to be good. The forecast calls for mostly clear skies, light winds and a temperature of 27 degrees Fahrenheit.

Endeavour was mounted atop a modified 747 carrier aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards during the overnight hours today after high winds delayed the mating operation.

The shuttle and seven astronauts landed on Runway 04 there on Nov. 30, capping a mission to equip the International Space Station for crews of six. It was the 52nd shuttle landing at Edwards in 124 missions and the first since 2007.

Tentative plans call for the 747 and Endeavour to fly over Space Coast beaches between Patrick Air Force Base and KSC during its final approach to NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility.

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Click to enlarge and save the NASA image of the orbiter Endeavour atop a 747 within the Mate-Demate Device at Edwards Air Force Base in California. You can also click the enlarged image to get an even bigger view. The 747 and Endeavour will back out of the gantry-like steel structure before taking off from the Mojave Desert military base. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Landis.