Photos: Discovery hitches a ride home
Weather prevented the space shuttle Discovery from landing in Florida so it needed a little help to finish its trip.
![bill-detwiler.png](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/af8b24752cf6b167db8b41c347e1940798e87431/2013/04/04/651150fe-1175-11e4-9732-00505685119a/bill-detwiler.png?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
![14610.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/a7403525f721dc1cea6f10349ac549f555650bf2/2014/08/29/10b13f9e-2f5a-11e4-9e6a-00505685119a/14610.jpg?auto=webp&width=1280)
1 of 4 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET
Platform
After landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, the space shuttle Discovery receives post-flight processing inside the Mate-Demate Device. The giant platform is used to help prepare the shuttle for its flight back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
2 of 4 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET
Tail cone
In preparation for its return flight to Florida, technicians attach a tail cone to Discovery, which helps reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence.
3 of 4 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
The specially modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft drives under the shuttle and is locked in for its flight back to Kennedy Space Center.
4 of 4 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET
Happy landing
Its cargo intact, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft landed at Kennedy Space Center at the end of its flight from California, which included a short layover at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
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