Aircraft at Airports

Images of various aircraft parked at airports, including classic and military planes, highlighting their design and engineering.

USA, California, Los Angeles, LAX Airport, NASA905 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Boeing 747-123 parked outside Flightpath Museum

Left front view of an E-4A Advanced Airborne Command Post aircraft parked on the flight line. Base: Andrews Air Force Base State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

USA, California, Los Angeles, LAX Airport, NASA905 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Boeing 747-123 parked outside Flightpath Museum

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian aircraft, lands at the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, delivering the Centaur second stage for the Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

USA, California, Los Angeles, LAX Airport, Mid section of shuttle carrier plane NASA905 Boeing 747-123

SOFIA (Stratospheric Ovservatory for Infrared Astronomy) visit to Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA landing and taxi to tower

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft lands on the flightline at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Dec. 13, 2022. The SOFIA made it's final flight from NASA's Armstrong Flight Reserarch Center in Palmdale, California, to DM and is scheduled to be displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum January 2023.

An Aeroflot An-124 cargo aircraft taxis away from a hangar after being loaded with equipment donated to the Commonwealth of Independent States by local hospitals. Base: Mcchord Air Force Base State: Washington (WA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers unload the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft from a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft.Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

Antonow An-225, Cologne Bonn Airport, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

An Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft carrying a Pegasus XL Rocket with eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft takes off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. With the aircraft flying off shore, the Pegasus rocket will be released. Five seconds later, the solid propellant engine will ignite and boost the eight hurricane observatories to orbit. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber, museum exhibit Poltava Ukraine

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is towed away from the mate/demate device. The SCA was just demated from the shuttle. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA, a modified Boeing 747, after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, rolls onto the ramp area at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. The SCA touched down at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17. The Mate/Demate Device, or MDD, is located at the ramp area and will be used to hoist and lower Endeavour onto the back of the SCA.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft taxies to the runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The aircraft is transporting Orbitals Pegasus rocket and NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus, mated to its NuSTAR payload, will be launched from the carrier aircraft 117 nautical miles south of Kwajalein at latitude 6.75 degrees north of the equator. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. Launch is scheduled for June 13.

An Aeroflot An-124 cargo aircraft takes off after being loaded with equipment donated to the Commonwealth of Independent States by local hospitals. Base: Mcchord Air Force Base State: Washington (WA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Antonov 124 aircraft arrives with its cargo, the remote manipulator system for the Japanese Experiment Module. The JEM, named "Kibo" (Hope), is Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the laboratory. Both the JEM and RMS are targeted for mission STS-124, to launch in early 2008.

IL-76MD transport airplane of the Russian Air Force at Tver-Migalovo Air Base, Russia.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft appears to hover above the runway as it departs from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The aircraft is transporting Orbitals Pegasus rocket and NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The Pegasus, mated to its NuSTAR payload, will be launched from the carrier aircraft 117 nautical miles south of Kwajalein at latitude 6.75 degrees north of the equator. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. Launch is scheduled for June 13.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The super Guppy transport aircraft arrives at KSC with its cargo, the S5 truss segment for the International Space Station. After offloading, the S5 truss will be transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility where it will be fit chedked for a Photo-Voltaic Radiator Grapple Fixture. It will also undergo a fit check to a truss simulator to make sure S5 will fit together with the S4 and S6 truss segments. S5 is scheduled for launch in October 2003 on mission STS-118. It will be the 10th truss assembled as part of a total 11 trusses.

Photographed from the F-18 pathfinder aircraft, the Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft is seen flying over the Atlantic Ocean offshore from Daytona Beach, Florida. Attached beneath the aircraft is the Pegasus XL rocket with eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes. NOTE: The Dec. 12, 2016 launch attempt was postponed due to a hydraulic pump aboard the Orbital ATK L-1011 aircraft which is required to release the latches holding Pegasus in place, is not receiving power.

DC-8 returning from AFWEX deployment showing AeroSAPIENT Ku-band antennas

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The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) returns to NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 on Aug. 11 after a productive month of science flights out of Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - The L-1011 carrier aircraft is ready for flight after undergoing a Combined Systems Test, an integrated test involving the Pegasus launch vehicle, SciSat-1 spacecraft and L-1011 aircraft. The SciSat-1 weighs approximately 330 pounds and after launch will be placed in a 400-mile-high polar orbit to investigate processes that control the distribution of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The data from the satellite will provide Canadian and international scientists with improved measurements relating to global ozone processes and help policymakers assess existing environmental policy and develop protective measures for improving the health of our atmosphere, preventing further ozone depletion. The mission is designed to last two years.

Chilean Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.

An E-3 Sentry sits on a ramp at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. EXACT DATE SHOT UNKNOWN. Base: Tinker Air Force Base State: Oklahoma (OK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian aircraft, lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the Russian-built Mini Research Module1, or MRM1, aboard.The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module, named Rassvet, will be permanently attached to the International Space Station's Zarya module on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission. An Integrated Cargo Carrier will join the MRM in Atlantis' payload bay. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock, and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also will be delivered to the station. Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, rolls onto the ramp area at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. The SCA touched down at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17. The Mate/Demate Device, or MDD, is located at the ramp area and will be used to hoist and lower Endeavour onto the back of the SCA.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - On the ramp of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft awaits departure for the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, with NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and Pegasus XL rocket. The Pegasus is attached under the wing of the aircraft for launch. Departing from Kwajalein, the Pegasus rocket will be dropped from under the wing of the L-1011 over the Pacific Ocean to carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit. Then, the spacecrafts own engine will boost it to its final high-altitude orbit (about 200,000 miles high) — most of the way to the Moon. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX science will be led by the Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio, Texas. IBEX is targeted for launch over the Pacific Oct. 19.

CAL Cargo Logic Air, Boeing, B747-400 ERF, cargo plane, Munich Airport, Upper Bavaria, Germany, Europe

KHABAROVSK, RUSSIA - SEP 29, 2018: Airbus A330-200 VP-BUB Nordwind Airlines lands at the airport of Khabarovsk. The plane lands on the runway at sunrise at high speed. Airport Khabarovsk-Novy UHHH , Russia. Airbus A330-200. Copyright: xZoonar.com/DmitriixRudx 13923576

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers begin to 'safe' space shuttle Atlantis on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 33 after its STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. The six-member STS-132 crew carried the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the space station. STS-132 is the 34th shuttle mission to the station, the 132nd shuttle mission overall and the last planned flight for Atlantis.

DF-ST-86-09961. Base: Paris Country: France (FRA)

ARCTAS Mission - NASA P-3 aircraft N426NA takes off from NASA's Moffett Federal Airfield (MFA) Mt. View, California

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is silhouetted against the sky as it soars on its second check flight near Waco, Texas on May 10, 2007.

NASA N941NA taxies in front of Hangar 2 at Moffett Field.

JUNO - Atlas V Arrival at Skid Strip

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, touched down at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida at 5:05 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Endeavours ferry flight to the Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 17.This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the final ferry mission. Endeavour will be placed on permanent public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Left side view of a parked E-4B advanced airborne command post aircraft belonging to the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. Base: Offutt Air Force Base State: Nebraska (NE) Country: United States Of America (USA)

An Antonov 124 cargo aircraft touches down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 28, 2021, carrying the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V booster for NASAs Landsat 9 mission. The Landsat 9 mission will launch atop a ULA Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg in September 2021. The launch is being managed by NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center. The Landsat 9 satellite will continue the nearly 50-year legacy of previous Landsat missions. It will monitor key natural and economic resources from orbit. Landsat 9 is managed by the agencys Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The satellite will carry two instruments: the Operational Land Imager 2, which collects images of Earths landscapes in visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared light, and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2, which measures the temperature of land surfaces. Like its predecessors, Landsat 9 is a joint mission between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.

SOFIA (Stratospheric Ovservatory for Infrared Astronomy) visit to Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA landing

An-124 Ruslan military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force landing.

TU-95 Bear Exhibit of museum of aviation Poltava,Ukraine

Total Force - The Super Guppy made a VERY rare stop at Tinker Air Force Base today for some gas on its way to Florida. The NASA aircraft was delivering an Orion Heatshield for a mission expected a few years from now.

Aircraft provisioning the allies during the siege of West Berlin by the Russians in the late 1940s, in the so-called Berlin Airlift. Allied Museum. Berlin. Germany.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA pilot Jeff Moultrie guides the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to a picture-perfect touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida with NASA co-pilot Bill Rieke at his side.The aircraft, known as an SCA, arrived at 5:35 p.m. EDT to prepare for shuttle Discoverys ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on April 17. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use. One of two SCAs employed over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 911 was decommissioned at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California in February. Discovery will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

X-34 mated to modified L-1011 during takeoff on first captive carry flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Seen from the mate-demate device at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, has been rolled back in preparation for its ferry flight to California.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is parked on the tarmac of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The SCA landed at Kennedy after a more than 2,500-mile cross-country ferry flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

An EC-135 Looking Glass command and control aircraft rolls down a taxiway during the joint military exercise GLOBAL GUARDIAN '98. Subject Operation/Series: GLOBAL GUARDIAN '98 Base: Offutt Air Force Base State: Nebraska (NE) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The flight crew names are painted near the nose of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. With the space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop, the SCA is being prepared to ferry the orbiter to California.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft glides to a stop at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Super Guppy is carrying the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA), the second flight-hardware section of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that has arrived at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS rocket, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Beluga aircraft arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility on NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Beluga carries the European Space Agency's research laboratory, designated Columbus, flown to Kennedy from its manufacturer in Germany. The module will be prepared for delivery to the International Space Station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the area of life, physical and materials sciences.

NASA's freshly painted Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 747SP aircraft sits outside a hangar at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems' facility in Waco, Texas. The observatory, which features a German-built 100-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 tons, is approaching the flight test phase as part of a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). SOFIA's science and mission operations are being planned jointly by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI). Once operational, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With the nose raised on the Russian AH-124-100 aircraft on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's skid strip in Florida, the Centaur stage of the Atlas V rocket inside is moved out of the cargo area. The Atlas V will launch NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. The two spacecraft will be integrated with the Atlas V and tested for final flight worthiness. Launch is scheduled for the spring. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020.

Jets on runway

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft has landed on the Skid Strip. The aircraft is delivering the booster stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

Congressional Delegation Oversight Visit - 26-HK-7-147. USA aircraft preparing to depart from ATC ramp. Hurricane Katrina

An IL-76MD-90 transport airplane of the Russian Air Force prepares for landing.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare to unload a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft that has delivered the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft.Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

A 117-foot P-3B NASA research aircraft is seen on the tarmac at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, in Baltimore, Md. The aircraft is part of a month-long field campaign designed to improve satellite measurements of air pollution. The name of the experiment -- Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER -- AQ) -- is a mouthful, but its purpose is simple. Come July, the aircraft will be flying spirals over six ground stations in Maryland.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket is mated to the company's L-1011 carrier aircraft near Vandenberg's runway. On board Pegasus are eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the L-1011/Pegasus XL combination will be flown to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Dec. 12, 2016, the carrier aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Ukrainian Antonov-124 transport aircraft prepares to touch down at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with the first stage of the Atlas V rocket that will carry the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, into orbit. The booster stage, arriving from the United Launch Alliance manufacturing plant in Decatur, Ala., will be taken to the hangar at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape Canaveral.Launch of the TDRS-K on the Atlas V rocket is planned for January 2013 from Space Launch Complex 41. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

An IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian border guard on tarmac.

A left front view of a KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft retrofitted with the new CFM-56 engine parked on the runway apron. State: Kansas (KS) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), in flight over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, for a test of the space shuttle landing gear system. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance.The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy.

Plane

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft throttles up for takeoff on the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) structural test article, secured inside the Super Guppy, will be transported to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility for testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission.

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A C-17 Globemaster III from Elemendorf Air Force Base, Alaska sits on the flightline while receiving routing maintenance here March 28. The C-17 just returned from Sendai where supplies were dropped off in support of Operation Tomodachi.

F-16 on runway at night, Denver skyline in distance

NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on July 11, 2000, to deliver the latest version of the X-38 drop vehicle to Dryden. The X-38s are intended as prototypes for a possible "crew lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The X-38 vehicle 131R will demonstrate a huge 7,500 square-foot parafoil that will that will enable the potential crew return vehicle to land on the length of a football field after returning from space.The crew return vehicle is intended to serve as a possible emergency transport to carry a crew to safety in the event of problems with the International Space Station. The Super Guppy evolved from the 1960s-vintage Pregnant Guppy, used for transporting outsized sections of the Apollo moon rocket. The Super Guppy was modified from 1950s-vintage Boeing C-97. NASA acquired its Super Guppy from the European Space Agency in 1997.

The Antonov cargo aircraft arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018, carrying the European Service Module (ESM) for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The ESM, built by the European Space Agency, will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.

Northrop Grumman's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft is at the hot pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on May 26, 2018. Preparations are underway to attach the company's Pegasus XL rocket, containing NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), beneath the aircraft. The explorer will launch on June 15, 2018, from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (June 14 in the continental United States). ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

low angle Jets Fixed Wing Commercial Boeing Aviat Airplanes 747 runway white

An IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force, Russia.

IL-96-400 VIP airliner of the Russian Federal Security Service taxiing.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrives in New York, New York, to participate in the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) on September 20, 2021.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft has landed on the Skid Strip. The aircraft is delivering the Centaur upper stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard the Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, guests arrive by bus to view the space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, as preparations continue for the ferry flight to California.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

A Federal Aviation Administration mobile air traffic control tower is loaded onto a Russian Antonov An-124, Homestead ARB, Jan. 21, 2010. This is the first time the FAA has deployed a mobile control tower outside of the continental U.S. The FAA's mission in Haiti is to set up and maintain the mobile control tower and if needed help control the air space.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A NASA F-18 and an Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft taxi to the runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., before taking off on a mission to launch NASA's IRIS spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, was launched aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket released from the L-1011.

Preparations are underway to attach Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL rocket, containing NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), beneath the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at the hot pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Oct. 14, 2018. The Stargazer will take off from the hot pad and travel to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Pegasus XL rocket will launch ICON from the Skid Strip at the Cape. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology and communications systems.

Tu-154B-2 airplane of the Russian Air Force.

NASA Monsoon Multidisciplinary analysis (NAMMA) deployment, Sal Island, Cape Verde Africia DC-8 NAMMA MISSION TO CAPE VERDE, AFRICA NASA's Dc-8 rolls down runway prior to take off from Sal Island's Amilcar Cabral International Airport on a Science flight for the NAMMA mission

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft lifts off the runway as it departs from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The aircraft is transporting Orbitals Pegasus rocket and NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The Pegasus, mated to its NuSTAR payload, will be launched from the carrier aircraft 117 nautical miles south of Kwajalein at latitude 6.75 degrees north of the equator. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. Launch is scheduled for June 13.

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), in flight over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, for a test of the space shuttle landing gear system. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance.The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy.

The aircraft carrying Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and his support team, along with members of the media taxis past Pikes Peak upon arrival at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, June 7, 2022. (Department of Defense photo by Master Sgt. Benjamin Wiseman)

The largest passenger airliner in the world - Airbus A380-800 on the airfield. Emirates Airline. BERLIN - JUNE 06, 2024: The largest passenger airliner in the world - Airbus A380-800 on the airfield. Emirates Airline. ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. Copyright: xZoonar.com/SergeyxKohlx 21916189

Congressional Delegation Oversight Visit - 26-HK-7-161. USA aircraft with empty stairs on ATC ramp. Hurricane Katrina

USAF AIR FORCE ONE PRESIDENTIAL AIRCRAFT UNITED STATES JET JETS 747

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the mate-demate device for mating with space shuttle Discovery. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a Boeing 747 jet originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discoverys new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken departs Paris, France, on March 8, 2022.

A right side view of a Marine C-9B Skytrain aircraft sitting on the flight line. The C-9B is from the Station Operations Engineering Squadron. Base: Mcas, Cherry Point State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

H-6K strategic bomber being guided on the flight line at Dyagilevo Air Base, Russia.

DF-ST-87-11133. Base: Abbotsford State: British Columbia (BC) Country: Canada (CAN)

051017-A-2814M-006. Base: Ramstein Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft prepares for takeoff from the runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The aircraft is transporting Orbitals Pegasus rocket and NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The Pegasus, mated to its NuSTAR payload, will be launched from the carrier aircraft 117 nautical miles south of Kwajalein at latitude 6.75 degrees north of the equator. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. Launch is scheduled for June 13.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - On the ramp of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft is ready for departure with NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and Pegasus XL rocket. The Pegasus is attached under the wing of the aircraft for launch. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch Oct. 19. The Pegasus rocket will be dropped from under the wing of the L-1011 over the Pacific Ocean to carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Edwards Air Force Base in California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747, is towed beneath space shuttle Atlantis, suspended in the mate/demate device. Atlantis will be bolted to the SCA for a piggyback flight to Florida. A tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during its piggyback flight, can be seen. Atlantis landed at Edwards on May 24, which concluded mission STS-125, after two landing opportunities at Kennedy were waved off due to weather concerns. Atlantis is being returned to Florida on a ferry flight on the SCA. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The nose gear of Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft rises from the runway as the plane takes off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The aircraft is transporting Orbitals Pegasus rocket and NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The Pegasus, mated to its NuSTAR payload, will be launched from the carrier aircraft 117 nautical miles south of Kwajalein at latitude 6.75 degrees north of the equator. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. Launch is scheduled for June 13.

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