The space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier, lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. The space shuttle Discovery is on a cross-country flight to Florida after landing from space earlier this month in Southern California. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
BEIJING, Sept.21 (Xinhuanet) -- The space shuttle Discovery started a cross-country ferry flight back to its home port in Florida on September 20, after more than a week after returning to Earth from its latest mission to orbit. NASA typically spends approximately 1.8 million U.S. dollars and a week of time hauling shuttles home to Florida from California.
According to media reports, it has stopped for the night at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The shuttle is being ferried atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, which is a modified 747 jumbo jet.
A refueling stop was made earlier Sunday at the international airport in Amarillo, Texas, and dozens of well-wishers and space enthusiasts gathered at airport to greet shuttle discovery.
The shuttle should reach Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday.
Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 11 in California to end a two-week, 5.7-million mile (9.1 million km)mission to the international space station.
锛圓gencies锛?/p>
没有评论:
发表评论