At the mate demate device at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility work begins to lower Atlantis to the ground.

At the mate/demate device at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, work begins to lower Atlantis to the ground. In the background, a towing device is used to back the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, away from the device. When the orbiter is lowered to the ground it 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 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/Jack Pfaller.