At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility technicians begin the process of detaching the lifting crane from Atlantis.

At the mate/demate device at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, technicians begin the process of detaching the lifting crane from Atlantis. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone that covers and protects the main engines during the ferry flight. The orbiter will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin processing for its next launch, mission STS-122 in December. Atlantis arrived at Kennedy Space Center atop the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, on July 3 after a three-day, cross-country flight due to fuel stops and weather delays. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 22 to end mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton.