Space Shuttle Landings

Dramatic captures of space shuttle landings and ferry flights, highlighting nighttime landings and shuttle operations at Kennedy Space Center.

Airshow, Vans RV-7, D-EPGL passing by, Gelnhausen, Germany, Europe
245 assets in this story
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Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission.During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station.Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks.In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyros
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ROK military biplane training aircraft flying over mountainous region on overcast winter afternoon in Chungju, South Korea, Asia
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Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Drop Test Vehicle (SRB-DTV) mated to NB-52B in snow
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Office of the Secretary - Secretary Elaine Chao with Governor Gilmore (R-VA) Press Conference National Airport
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DN-SC-89-00479. Base: Naval Air Station, Moffett Field State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly performs touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are Gulfstream II business jets that are modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Practice landings are part of standard training before space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 launch to the International Space Station.Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.
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Gulkana Hatchery sockeye salmon being dropped into Crosswinds lake by pilot Doug Glen. The Thrush crop duster aircraft releases the fry at about 200 feet for optimal survivorship. Southcentral, Alaska.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With drag chute sailing behind, Endeavour rolls down runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, completing the 13-day STS-118 mission to the International Space Station. Behind it is the looming Vehicle Assembly Building, which stands 525-feet tall. The mission began Aug. 8 and installed a new gyroscope, an external spare parts platform and another truss segment to the expanding station. Endeavour's main gear touched down at 12:32:16 p.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 12:32:29 p.m. and wheel stop was at 12:33:20 p.m. Endeavour traveled nearly 5.3 million miles, landing on orbit 201. STS-118 was the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, the 20th flight for Endeavour and the second of four missions planned for 2007. This was the 65th landing of an orbiter at Kennedy.
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. Boeings MD-90 aircraft flies from Victorville California to Palmdale, California on August 15, 2023. This aircraft will be NASAs future Sustainable Flight Demonstrator. Modifications to the aircraft will include changes to the fuselage and most notably the use of a transonic truss-braced wing.
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Aircrafts - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-56-69. Military helicopter flying over airport. Hurricane Katrina
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, A T-38 chase aircraft sits on runway 15 waiting for clearance from Kennedys air traffic control tower to begin takeoff prior to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery attached atop. The aircraft, known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After dropping through cloud cover, Orbiter Endeavour approaches Runway 15 at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, with a mission elapsed time of 11 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes. Main gear touchdown occurred at 12:55:10 p.m. EST, nose gear touchdown at 12:55:23 p.m. , wheel stop at 12:56:13 p.m. The landing, the 57th at KSC in the history of the program completed the STS-108 mission known as Utilization Flight 1, which was the 12th mission to the International Space Station. This mission was the 107th flight in the Shuttle program and the 17th flight for the orbiter. Endeavour carries both the mission crew and the Expedition 3 crew - Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin - who are returning to Earth after 129 days in space on the Space Station
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Pilate PC-7 Turbo Trainers of the Elementary Military Flyer Training (Emvo).
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two of the crewmembers for the STS-124 mission, Pilot Ken Ham and Mission Specialist Akihiko Hoshide, depart NASA's Kennedy Space Center in a T-38 training jet after a successful launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. The crew is expected to return in late May for the May 31 launch of space shuttle Discovery. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System.
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DN-ST-89-11320. Base: Naval Air Station, Oceana State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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DN-ST-89-09219. Country: Antarctica (ATA)
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Allied Museum, Clayallee, Dahlem, Berlin, Germany, Europe
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the MAVEN spacecraft, still in its shipping container, is prepared for transport following offload from a C-17 aircraft. The aircraft delivered MAVEN for processing ahead of a launch later this year on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, will orbit Mars to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail.
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A Staraliance-Spanair Airbus above parked planes, landing, fog, Frankfurt am Main airport, Hesse, Germany, Europe
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers escort space shuttle Endeavour as it is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The MDD is located at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The shuttle will be lifted and connected to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display.
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XV-15 (N703NA) Tiltrotor in hover flight landing on rooftop. Bell Photo number 042669
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Das Regierungsflugzeug A340 steht auf dem Flughafen nach erneuter Rueckkehr nach Abu Dhabi, 15.08.2023. Durch einen unplanmaessigen Stopp in Abu Dhabi aufgrund eines technischen Problems an den Landeklappen des Flugzeugs verzoegerte sich die Weiterreise
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IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force, Tver-Migalovo, Russia.
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Germany, Berlin, 25. 11. 2020, BER, visitors' terrace, Terminal 1, aircraft, fog, Europe
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A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor performs maneuvers during The Great Texas Airshow, Apr. 22, 2022, at JBSA-Randolph, Texas. The Great Texas Airshow, featuring the Thunderbirds, is scheduled for April 23 thru 24 at JBSA-Randolph. The Thunderbirds perform for people all around the world to display the pride, precision and professionalism the U.S. Air Force represents. Through air shows and flyovers, they aim to excite and inspire. In addition to showcasing the elite skills all pilots must possess, the Thunderbirds demonstrate the incredible capabilities of the Air Force's premier multi-role fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
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flying model rocket
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Special Rescue Operations firefighters with NASA Fire Rescue Services in the Protective Services Office at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in a training exercise at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters, wearing protective gear, use hoses to put out a fire burning close to a mock-up of a small plane. Kennedys firefighters recently achieved Pro Board Certification in aerial fire truck operations and completed vehicle extrication training using the Jaws of Life. The Protective Services Office is one step closer to achieving certification in vehicle machinery extrication and other rescue skills. Kennedys firefighters are with G4S Government Solutions Inc., on the Kennedy Protective Services Contract.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A convoy of support vehicles trails the first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission as it moves from the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to the launch pad.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.
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Aircrafts - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-56-53. Fire axes in back of vehicle with CG HU-25 and HH-65 visible on ramp3. Hurricane Katrina
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander begins to descend toward the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, field after lifting off on a free-flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 1:57 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future e
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Photos from Aviation Training Center, Mobile - 26-HK-422-4. Hurricane Katrina
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis' drag chute slows the vehicle at it rolls to a stop on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 8 48 a.m. EDT, completing the 12-day 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.
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Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-97-15. Misc Air Station photo--equipment cart in front of hangar; aircraft in hangar and on ramp. Hurricane Katrina
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Doug Hurley perform touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An STA is a Gulfstream II jet that is modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Ferguson and Hurley practice landings as part of standard procedure before space shuttle Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station.Atlantis and its crew are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to
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Sequence Showing Cars Emerging From Distance as Seen Through the Effects of an Inferior Mirage
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Aerial view of a rusty airplane in the forest, Oregon, United States.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery lands on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:08 a.m. EDT, completing the 15-day STS-131 mission to the International Space Station. Main gear touchdown was at 9:08:35 a.m. EDT followed by nose gear touchdown at 9:08:47 a.m. and wheelstop at 9:09:33 a.m. Aboard are Commander Alan Poindexter; Pilot James P. Dutton Jr.; and Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also switched out a gyroscope on the stations truss, installed a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieved a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd
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Air to air left side view of an Air Mobility Command's 437th Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III as it turns right over ocean off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown
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040627-N-7559C-002. Base: Elmendorf Air Force Base State: Alaska (AK) Country: United States Of America (USA)