Feb 29 1988
From The Space Library
NASA announced plans to acquire a Boeing 747-100 jetliner to serve as a second Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) for the Space Transportation System. A letter contract was signed with Boeing Military Airplane Company, a division of the Boeing Company, Seattle, to reserve the aircraft for NASA use. The additional SCA would provide increased ferrying capability and eliminate a potential single-point failure in the Space Transportation System.
The 231-foot long aircraft would be modified to carry Shuttle orbiter vehicles from landing sites to orbiter processing facilities at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The 747-100, which is nearly identical to the original SCA, was selected to minimize costs associated with modifications and operation. (NASA Release 88-28; JSC Release 88-005)
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