Post-flight servicing of the orbiters, and the
mating operation, was carried out at NASA's Dryden Flight Research
Center, Edwards, California, at the Mate-Demate Device (MDD).
When the orbiters landed at Dryden, they were
towed to the MDD. It is a large gantry-like structure where the
orbiters receive post-flight servicing and are prepared for the
ferry flights back to the Kennedy Space Center with the NASA 747
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).
Before the ferry flights begin, all orbiter
systems are checked thoroughly and certain fuel lines and tanks are
purged. Post-flight servicing and ferry flight preparations at the
MDD normally take about five days. When the orbiter is ready for
the ferry flight, it is lifted by the MDD and placed on special
mounts atop the Boeing 747 SCA fuselage. Ferry flights back to the
Kennedy Space Center usually take one to two days, based on weather
along the route.
The 100-foot high steel truss cantilevered
facility is capable of precision positioning of more than 220,000
pounds and is used to raise the orbiters onto jacks for
ferry-flight servicing, and then hoist them higher to mate them
atop the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).
The MDD, which features three seperate hoist units, each capable of lifting
100,000 pounds, was designed by Connell Associates, Inc., Coral
Gables, Fla., and built by the George A. Fuller Co., Chicago, Ill.,
at a cost of $1.7 million.
Bring a note pad for the clues to the final
cache!!
Log the final cache at GC3A0DA!
Space Shuttle Series Notes:
This series is in the Mojave desert, an extreme harsh enviroment.
Know your abilities.
Bring plenty of water even in winter.
Tell someone where you are going and when you
expect to be back.
Bring a cell phone.
This series will take several hours to
complete by foot.
Enjoy!
Congratulations to nascarfamily5 and Grizzly & Mama Bear for
Co-FTF!! Wow! They did
it in the dark on New Years Eve!!