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[Josh Byerly] While the crew
has been working this morning,

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activities have also been taking place
down at the Kennedy Space Center.

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The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, which
is NASA's very large 747 jumbo jet

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that carries the space shuttle
on its back, arrived down there

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at the Shuttle Landing Facility on the very
same runway that Discovery landed on more

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than a year ago after it wrapped
up its final mission STS-133.

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There is a live view of the Kennedy Space
Center there at the Shuttle Landing Facility.

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The 747 will spend the next several days getting
Discovery secured to it and ready for the flight

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up to Washington D.C. Discovery heading up to
the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

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It will take off on April 17
and should arrive up in D.C.

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and be unveiled to the public there on the 19th.

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We have a chance now to talk to two of the
crew members who will be flying that mission.

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This will be technically
Discovery's last flight.

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We have Jeff Moultrie on the phone who
is the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft pilot

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who will be flying that particular
leg of the flight.

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We also have Henry Taylor who is a flight
engineer for that particular aircraft.

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So good morning to both of you Jeff and Henry.

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How are you guys doing down there in Florida?

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[Jeff Moultrie] Hey good
morning Josh how are you?

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[Henry Taylor] Good morning doing fine.

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[Josh] Doing well.

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So you guys flew in yesterday straight
from Edwards Air Force Base in Dryden.

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How was the flight over to Florida?

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[Jeff] It was a good flight.

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It was a long flight for us about, I don't
know, a little over about 5-and-a-half hours.

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So it was a nice flight, nice
weather pretty much the whole way.

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[Josh] Could you actually
make that flight in one hop?

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'Cause typically, you know, if you've
got the shuttle in the back you guys have

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to stop a couple times because
it's not exactly fuel-efficient.

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Could you actually make it in one pass
or did you have to stop somewhere?

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[Henry] No we made it in one complete flight.

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We took off at 9:10 in the morning and
landed here at 14:35 California time.

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[Josh] So talk about what's next for the plane.

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So talk about what you guys have to do over
the next couple of days to get it ready

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and to get Discovery put up on the back of it.

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[Henry] Well today and the
next day or so technicians

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at the Kennedy Space Center will be
installing the balls and pedestals which is

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where the Discovery aft mounts will be.

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We'll also be putting fuel on the airplane,
doing any other preparations that need

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to be done, inspections and things like that.

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[Josh] And then once Discovery gets put
on there you guys will be good to go.

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Is there a, you know, talk a little bit
about, you know, you guys have flown these,

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flown these types of jets for a while.

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Kind of talk to the layman about what is
it like to actually have a shuttle that big

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and something on the back of that airplane
and how different is it to take off and land

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with something that heavy on that 747.

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[Jeff] This is Jeff.

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I think the really, the parts of the flight
that's quite a bit different is the take

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off portion.

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We use quite a bit of runway
length with the mated SCA.

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The en route and descent landing portions
are not so different than flying a,

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for example, a commercial airliner.

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But the take off due to the drag factor of
the shuttle the performance is degraded.

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And so we have to be quite careful
with our speeds and in the climb.

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But once we get to the in en route structure
it's pretty much business as normal.

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It's like a normal jet.

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[Josh] So you guys are going to be doing
a flyover of D.C. We've seen the news,

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that weather permitting you'll have the
chance to flyover some of the landmarks,

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the National Mall and then
head out to the airport.

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Have you guys ever done anything
like that before?

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Is this sort of the first time
you're going to be able to see some

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of these things from that vantage point?

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[Jeff] For me yes.

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We're doing the flyover first of the
Kennedy Space Center and then we're going

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up the east coast to do the D.C. area flyover.

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Certainly it's going to be a
first for me with a mated SCA.

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But I have of course flown in

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and out of Washington National
before but never with the shuttle.

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But it's going to be a pretty historic
flight I think and with our proximity to some

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of the monuments and the Capitol
building and the White House.

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So it's going to be a pretty neat day.

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[Josh] And Henry you're the flight engineer
and I think, correct me if I'm wrong,

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you're going to be flying
a couple of different legs.

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Up to D.C. and then on to New York correct?

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Talk about, about what you're going
to be doing during those legs.

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[Henry] We're going to have just one leg from
KSC to D.C. And then when Discovery's off-loaded

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and Enterprise is loaded it will be
a different from Dulles to New York.

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We're going to be pretty heavy taking
off from KSC so climb out would be slower

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than we would if we didn't have it.

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But the weight going from
New York to, I'm sorry,

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from Dulles to New York is much
lighter but it's still heavy.

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[Josh] How long have the both of you
guys been flying this type of aircraft?

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How long have you been with NASA?

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[Henry] This is Henry.

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I've been with NASA since 1979.

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And I started flying on the
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in 1989.

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I spent 30 years as a flight simulation engineer
on the Shuttle Training Aircraft doing training

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of all the crews that have
ever flown the shuttle.

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I also fly on the Super Guppy
as flight engineer.

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[Josh] And Jeff.

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[Jeff] This is Jeff.

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That was, I was just a kid when Henry started.

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But I've been with NASA for 11 years.

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And I've been on the Shuttle Carrier since
I got to Johnson Space Center in 2004.

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But prior to that I flew this airplane, type
of airplane, commercially and then before that,

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many years before that, in the military.

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[Josh] So is this a bit of a
different flight for you guys?

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Is there different emotions tied to this?

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[Henry] Oh yes.

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It's unique and special to do it.

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It's sad that it's the end of the road for,
you know, the last flight of Discovery.

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What is going to be the most tough for me
will be in September with Endeavour 'cause

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that will be the complete end of
the last flights for the airplane.

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[Josh] So let's talk about the plane itself.

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This is a NASA 905.

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This is the original one right?

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This is the oldest of the two.

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We have another one that was NASA 911
that's been decommissioned correct?

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[Henry] That's correct.

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905 was the original SCA.

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It was used for the Approach and Landing
Tests when Enterprise was flown off the back.

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It carried all the orbiters until the
first trip that 911 made, which I was on,

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was carrying Endeavour from Palmdale to KSC.

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[Josh] That's amazing.

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That's amazing stuff.

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So I appreciate you guys joining us today.

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We'll definitely be watching you on
the 17th whenever you guys take off.

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I think you're due to take off early,
early in the morning, aren't you, from KSC?

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[Henry] 7 o'clock is our scheduled time.

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[Josh] Alright, well listen, you
guys thanks again for joining us.

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You guys have a safe trip
and again we'll be watching.

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[Jeff] Thanks Josh.

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[Henry] Thank you.

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[Josh] Once again that was Jeff Moultrie the
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft pilot and Henry Taylor

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who is the flight engineer onboard that NASA
aircraft that's going to be taking Discovery

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on its final flight from the Kennedy
Space Center coming up on April 17

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up to Washington D.C. where it will be put on
display for everybody to stop by and take a look