Space Shuttle Orbiter & Boeing 747 Farewell

Plastic model kit of a U.S. Space Shuttle Orbiter with Boeing 747 carrier aircraft

• Scale: 1:200
• Dimensions (assembled):
• Space Shuttle: Length 185 mm / Wingspan 118 mm
• Boeing 747: Length 350 mm / Wingspan 298 mm
• 92 parts
• Display stand included
• Multiple marking options
  • Endeavour, Enterprise, Discovery, Atlantis, etc.
  • New NASA logo: N905NA, N911NA
    • Several pilot names and mission markings from its active service period are applied to the forward fuselage of the Boeing 747 "N905NA," directly above the blue stripe.
  • Old NASA logo: 905, 911
• Unassembled, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Space Shuttle Orbiter and Boeing 747 carrier aircraft combination formed a unique NASA transport system. Since Space Shuttle Orbiters could not take off under their own power after landing, they were transported on specially modified Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for ferry flights. NASA utilized two modified Boeing 747s for this purpose; their fuselages were equipped with three attachment points and additional structural reinforcements to safely carry the orbiters on their backs.

The carrier aircraft was primarily used when an orbiter needed to be transported back to the Kennedy Space Center after landing at Edwards Air Force Base or other alternate landing sites. Additionally, in the 1970s, it was used for the "Approach and Landing Tests," during which the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise was released from the carrier aircraft to test flight characteristics during the landing approach. The ferry flights were technically challenging, as the orbiter mounted on the fuselage significantly increased aerodynamic drag and substantially reduced both the range and top speed of the Boeing 747. Consequently, longer distances were usually covered with multiple stopovers. The combination of the Space Shuttle and the Boeing 747 became one of the most recognizable symbols of the American Space Shuttle program and was in regular service from 1977 until the program ended in 2011.