The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA is moved from underneath space shuttle Atlantis in the mate demate device.

On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is moved from underneath space shuttle Atlantis in the mate/demate device. A hoist attached to Atlantis suspends the shuttle while the SCA is moved away. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA, a modified Boeing 747, after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller