Why dos the space shutle sometimes fly on the back of a 747?

Question

Why dos the space shutle sometimes fly on the back of a 747?

Answer 1

To transport it from one location to another. It cannot fly itself and its too big to go into another transport aircraft so they modified the 747 to carry it.

Answer 2

For transportation. The Shuttle cant take off or fly under its own power.

Answer 3

Because it has to get from the landing strip to the space centre.

Answer 4

Test missions.

Answer 5

Because it is unable to fly like a normal aircraft. Sometimes if they are having technical problems they have to land at an airstrip other than they would like. The best way to get it back to Kennedy Space Centre is to piggyback it on a 747.

Answer 6

mainly for transport

Answer 7

'Cos it can't fly on its own like an aeroplane. It's meant to be flown in space.

Answer 8

If for some reason the Shuttle cannot land back at the cape like the weather, it sometimes lands in California. It's too large to go overland to get back to Florida so two former American Airlines 747-200s were purchased early in the program and converted by Boeing to become the special Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.  

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They were used as early as the late 70s for the first experimental drop tests to verify the handling characteristics.  Fred Haise of Apollo 13 fame was one of the first to pilot the Shuttle during these tests.  

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Answer 9

To keep the environmentalists happy. It means the fuel consumption is less.

It also means the technical crew can be in the 747 observing and monitoring all the important data and stuff.

Answer 10

The answers are good, but just for info one of the landing sites NOT in America is at the Oman base of Thumrait. Check it out on Google earth.

Answer 11

because the space shuttle has no engine power except for launch and to manoeuvre around in space, it cannot fly itself back to Kennedy Space Centre, if it lands at Edwards Air Force Base (or another air strip) due to weather at KSC, so they put it on the back of a modified 747 to carry it back to Kennedy Space Centre, in the event it were to land somewhere other than there.

because the aerodynamics of the shuttle are not that great, some people have compared it to a flying brick, and if it flies level for too long, it will lose a lot of airspeed and become just that, a flying brick

Answer 12

because it can't fit on the back of a cessna 152

Answer 13

Hi, bad weather over Kennedy Space Center occasionally causes a shuttle to land at a back up airfield. Since it cannot take off conventionally, the craft has to be fixed onto a jet in order to get it back there.

Answer 14

They have to use a 747, cause the '65 Impala couldn't go that fast.

Now that's funny, I don't care who ya are..

Answer 15

It is nothing more than a way to transport it. Maintenance is required or other work is needed and it cannot be flown to the facility by conventional means, so it is placed on the specially designed and reinforced 747 and taken wherever it needs to go.

Answer 16

To transport it from one place to another - it can't actually fly under it's own power - it's the worlds biggest glider!

Answer 17

To get back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Lets say that Andrews Air Force base is where the shuttle had to land because the landing strip in Florida is say fogged in.

IT will land at Andrews base and hitch a ride on the back of a 747 to get back to Florida

Answer 18

Goldwing is right. Florida is where they do the check/maintenance after a mission. In case it is not able to land in Florida but California, it has to be transported and that is why they use the B747. The shuttle is not very aerodynamic and cannot fly well like a regular big plane.