Why a Boeing 747 was modified to carry a NASA space shuttle in 'world's greatest piggyback ride'

This Boeing 747 was modified to carry a NASA space shuttle in the ‘worlds greatest piggyback ride’.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, AKA the SCA, was a modified jumbo jet used as a taxi service for space shuttles.

The SCA would be used to ferry space shuttles from landing sites back to the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.

In addition to providing an essential service, the SCA looked really cool while doing the job.

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Why was this Boeing 747 modified to carry a NASA space shuttle?

The NASA 905 was a Boeing 747 model and was the first and only Shuttle Carrier Aircraft that was actually used until 1990 when NASA 911 came along.

While both planes are now retired, they remain American icons.

Their primary purpose was to carry space shuttles back from landing sites to the Kennedy Space Center.

The shuttles would be placed on top of the SCAs by a specific type of crane, which would lift them off the ground and mate them to the plane.

For people who could see the planes flying overhead, they were a great source of excitement.

That’s certainly the memory that pilot Jeff Moultrie had of the plane from his childhood.

“It was always a pleasure to have the locals come out and the kids to look up and see a shuttle sitting on top of an airplane,” he said.

“That’s certainly a huge memory of mine, I was looking up and seeing this plane.

“Who would have thought I would ever have flown this airplane? How ironic that I would end up being a guy who flew the airplane.”

Not only that, he would be the last person to fly the plane.

Dreams really do come true – as this daughter who got to co-pilot with her dad knows all too well.

So what was the purpose behind the SCA?

Well, space shuttles would often land at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

That’s all well and good, but they needed to get back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA toyed with the idea of fitting the shuttles with jet engines, so they could fly back to Florida.

But this proved to be too costly and complicated, so the SCA was developed instead.

Why was the SCA retired?

NASA engineer John Kiker worked on the concept using model planes.

The SCA’s crowning moment came in 1977 when it was used in the Approach and Landing Tests.

This saw the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise’s flight capabilities put to the test, as it separated from the plane mid-air and flew off.

But that begs the question – why was the SCA retired?

In 2012, the NASA 911 was retired after its final mission on February 8, as the space shuttle program had been discontinued the previous year.

After retirement, the plane was preserved and put on display at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California.

Both planes remain icons to this day, representing American ingenuity at its finest.

In case you were wondering what these planes looked like on the inside, YouTuber Paul Stewart took a look inside and took his viewers along.

The Boeing 747 is a popular choice within the aviation sphere, and it’s easy to see why.

In addition to being a recognizable name, it’s also got powerful engines and a spacious interior on its side.

Is it any wonder that a  Boeing 747 even became a flying wedding venue?

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