Space shuttle Discovery slowly is lifted in preparation for the arrival of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery slowly is lifted to the 60-foot level inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the arrival of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is a Boeing 747 jet originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. Discovery’s new home will be the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. For more information on the SCA, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett