KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - Space shuttle Discovery returned to Kennedy Space Center riding atop NASA's 747 jumbo jet following a two-day cross-crountry trip from Edwards Air Force Base in California where the shuttle landed September 11 at the conclusion of its STS-128 mission. Dodging clouds and thunderstorms over Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and Discovery touched down at 12:05 p.m. EDT.
FREE VIDEO: WATCH: DISCOVERY ARRIVES AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER WATCH: SHUTTLE FERRY FLIGHT TAKES OFF FROM EDWARDS AFB ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: DOWNLOAD VIDEO: DISCOVERY ARRIVAL AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - 640x480 1.2 MBPS VIDEO To the disappointment of residents on Florida's Space Coast, the dynamic weather situation prevented the shuttle from making its traditional low-altitude pass along the beaches and show off the unique orbiter/747 piggyback combination for the locals, many of whome have ties to the space program. The shuttle left Edwards at sunrise Sunday and made refueling stops at Amarillo and Fort Worth in Texas before landing at Barksdale A.F.B. in Louisiana for the night. Discovery took off from Barksdale at 9:40 this morning to begin the 2 1/2 hour flight across the Gulf of Mexico to Kennedy Space Center. The weather nearly forced Discovery to divert to McDill AFB in Tamps, but NASA's pathfinder C-9 aircraft, flying ahead of the 747, was able to find a path through the weather, allowing the shuttle carrier's pilots to make the last minute decision to proceed to KSC and a touchdown on the three-mile long runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility. (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)
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