Houston, Discovery has the runway in sight.
Copy runway
Discovery descending through 3000 feet
Three miles to touchdown
1000 feet
Landing gear is down and locked
Main gear touchdown
Drag chute deployed
Nose gear touchdown
And Discovery is home
Return to flight mission STS-114
culminates at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center
at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Discovery's landing initiates
a complex series of activities.
The orbiter is recovered by a convoy
of over 20 specialized vehicles.
A variety of of specialists assist the astronauts
with systems shutdown, egress
and medical assessments.
I'd like say hello to everybody and
on behalf of the STS-114 crew,
we have had a fantastic mission.
We are, so glad to be able to come back and say it
was successful and we have resupplied
the International Space Station and
we've met the test objectives
of the Space Shuttle Program.
We brought Discovery back in great shape.
as you can see behind us that,
the crew is really anxious to walk and
see what the outside looked like
and it looks fantastic.
We got a great group of folks here that are
taking care of Discovery and taking care of us.
After the initial recovery operations on the runway
the orbiter is towed four miles
to a Mate/Demate Device or MDD,
where it is de serviced .
Once at the MDD, the week-long
turnaround process begins
with crews working around the clock
in preparation for the Shuttle's
cross-country return home.
Discovery's onboard fuel cell systems are shut down
and the Orbiter's electrical systems
are switched to ground power.
The Shuttle is hoisted and aligned
with the MDD'S work platforms
so that technicians may have
access to the Orbiter's systems.
The main engines are flushed of residual fuel to
protect the turbo pumps from possible contamination.
The most hazardous part of the deservicing
is the draining of the monomethylhydrazine fuel
from the Orbiter's rockets and thrusters.
[series of three loud clangs]
This procedure is commonly called SCAPE,
an acronym for the
Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Equipment
the technicians must wear.
It is a lengthy process mandated by safety requirements
due to the highly toxic nature of the fuel.
Once SCAPE is complete
the aft engine area is prepared for installation
of the aerodynamic tail cone.
This 10,000 pound fairing is mounted
over the main engine nozzles
to help reduce drag during the ferry flight.
Once the tail cone is in place
the Orbiter's body flap is raised
to fit flush against the tail cones bottom
and the landing gear is raised and locked into place.
Discovery is now ready to be mated
to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA.
The Orbiter is lifted some 60 feet into the air
by the MDD sling.
The SCA, a modified 747, is been towed to the MDD
and carefully positioned underneath.
The Shuttle is now lowered
onto three attach points on the 747.
Once this slow exacting process is complete,
the sling is removed from the Orbiter and
and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is carefully towed
from the MDD.
With the Orbiter mounted securely atop the 747,
the piggyback pair is ready to fly.
Although the weight of the Orbiter
is well within the SCA's carrying ability,
the additional drag forces it to fly
at much lower altitudes and
and much slower speeds than a commercial 747.
The 747 makes its long taxi
to the 15,000 foot Edwards runway
The flight crew gets takeoff clearance from the tower,
the throttles are advanced
and the brakes released.
After an extended takeoff the SCA is airborne
and the duo climb into the desert sky.
[sound of large jet passing overhead]
Discovery is on its way home.