Saturday, August 20 2005 10:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Edwards Air Force Base: Discovery rode piggyback atop a jumbo jet yesterday (August 19, 2005) for a cross-country trip to Florida, more than a week after it landed in the Mojave Desert, to become the first space shuttle to return to Earth since the Columbia tragedy.

The modified Boeing 747, carrying the shuttle lifted off for Cape Canaveral. It will make several stops, the first one in Oklahoma to refuel during the 3591 kilometers trip, which was expected to cost National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at least USD one million.

Discovery and its seven-member crew touched down August 9, 2005, at the Edwards backup landing site after a 14-day mission to service the international space station. NASA diverted the landing to California after low clouds and lightning prevented the shuttle from returning to Florida on four earlier attempts.

After landing, Discovery underwent maintenance inside 30.48 meters tall, steel truss work structure on the base two hours north of Los Angeles. Crews worked around the clock to prepare the shuttle for departure by purging it of hazardous substances and removing fuel from the on-board tanks.

Thunderstorms late Monday forced crews to temporarily suspend preparations for the shuttle's ferry home. Technicians worked Wednesday to attach a 10,000-pound aluminum tail cone to the shuttle to eliminate drag during flight and mated the shuttle to the aircraft just hours before takeoff.