Atlantis' nose area showing evidence of its high-temperature, hypersonic-speed plunge through the atmosphere
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Ground crews begin towing Space Shuttle Atlantis from the main runway
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Atlantis is towed up a taxiway at Edwards Air Force Base
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Atlantis is towed past the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft that will carry it back to the Kennedy Space Center
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Atlantis' forward fuselage and crew cabin surrounded by work access platforms in this view taken from the top of the Mate-DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC)
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A technician checks thermal protection system tiles mounted on the bottom of the left wing of Atlantis for dings during post-mission servicing
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Atlantis shown during jacking and leveling operations while suspended from a sling in the Mate-DeMate Device as post-mission servicing gets under way.
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NASA 911, a Boeing 747 modified to carry the space shuttles, thunders off Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base with the shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
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NASA 911 lifts off Runway 22 at Edwards carrying shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the KSC
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Space shuttle Atlantis is carried by a modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over California's high desert after leaving DFRC at Edwards
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NASA Dryden photographer Jim Ross captured this overhead view of space shuttle Atlantis atop the SCA over California's high desert from an F/A-18 mission support aircraft
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Southern California's high desert provides the backdrop as the SCA ferries space shuttle Atlantis back to the KSC after departing DFRC at Edwards
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After a two-day trip from California, the SCA and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis approach NASA KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility runway
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The SCA carrying Atlantis.
Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during flight.
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The SCA and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis lands on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15
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Touchdown on runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility was at 6:53 p.m. EDT.
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Space shuttle Atlantis on top of the SCA is parked on the tarmac of NASA KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility
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Atlantis is attached to the SCA 747 in preparation for the Ferry Flight
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First leg of flight home from Edwards (KEDW) to Biggs AaF (KBIF)
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Landing at first stop Biggs Army Airfield near El Paso, Texas at 11:22 am MDT
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After an overnight stay, Atlantis flys the second leg of the trip from Biggs AaF (KBIF) to Lackland AFB (KSKF)
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Texas II. Landing at Lackland Air Force Base's Kelly Field near San Antonio, Texas
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Third leg of flight home, Lackland AFB (KSKF) to Columbus, MI (KCBM)
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Making final fuel stop of the trip at Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Mississippi
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Almost home, the final leg, Columbus (KCBM) to Kennedy Space Center in Florida (KTTS)
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Home at Last. The SCA with Atlantis on top landed here at the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC at 6:53 pm EDT
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Approaching KSC
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Approaching KSC
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Almost there
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Touchdown at KSC
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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After KSC Landing
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The SCA, with its piggyback cargo the orbiter Atlantis, is towed to a parking area after landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, concluding a two day flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California
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