These Historic Photos Have Some Truly Odd Stories Behind Them

The Space Shuttle Goes Home (2012)

There is no shortage of fascinating photographs from NASA. This one shows the Space Shuttle Atlantis riding piggy-back on a modified 747 on a flight back to Kennedy Space Center in 2012 after it landed at Edwards AFB. When the Space Shuttle enters Earth’s atmosphere after its missions, in this case mission STS-125, it is essentially a glider; it cannot take off and fly under its own power. NASA modified a Boeing 747 to ferry the shuttle around. When the shuttle landed, it took about a week to fit it out for transport on the SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft). It had to be lifted above the 747 and placed properly. The shuttle was then attached by three struts and secured into place. With the load of a shuttle on top and the drag caused by the shape of the combined structure, the SCA had to stop frequently for refueling.

Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

Amityville Horror: Horror or hoax? (n.a.) ABC News.com, 31 October 2002.

A costume ball where architects dress as buildings. Amanda Kolson Hurley, CityLab Design, 31 October 2019.

Dogs in WWI: Man’s best friends during the war. (n.a.) National WWI Museum and Memorial (n.d.)

“Fearless Freddie” Lund: Nationally known aviator once lived in Troy. Judy Deeter, Troy Historical Alliance, bravotroyohio.com (n.d.).

How the Boeing 747 carried the Space Shuttle. Justin Hayward, SimpleFlying.com, 18 October 2021.

Meet Mr. Mumler, the man who “captured” Lincoln’s ghost on camera. Peter Manseau, 10 October 2017.

North Dakota substitutes ‘Art’ for natural wonders. John MacDonald, Los Angeles Times, 21 November 1999.

Presidential pets: Roosevelt’s menagerie. (n.a.) CBSnews.com, 27 November 2020.

Remembering the Queen of the Mist. Carol Rogers, New York State Parks and Historic Sites, 12 January 2021.

Robert Cornelius and the First Selfie. Wendi Maloney, TIMELESS: Stories from the Library of Congress, 25 July 2022.

The long, strange history of the mighty ‘Og,’ a 55-foot, 2.5-ton gorilla. Ann Erling, Prairie Public, InForum.com, 6 July 2023.