NASA's 'Super Guppy' Plane Lands At Buckley
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - It's not an invasion. You did actually see a strange-looking plane flying over Aurora on Tuesday.
NASA's "Super Guppy" landed at Buckley Air Force Base a little after 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The crew delivered hardware from NASA's Space Launch System at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama to Lockheed Martin in Lakewood.
And just like that... @NASA's Super Guppy is off to take #NASASLS hardware from @NASA_Marshall to @LockheedMartin in Denver! Goodbye Guppy! pic.twitter.com/GxOJ1Kfm5G
— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) July 11, 2017
The "Super Guppy" oversize cargo transport plane is used to transport oversized cargo to different locations. It's affectionately called the "Super Guppy" because of its fish-like appearance.
According to NASA's website, the plane has a hinged nose that opens 110 degrees to allow for full frontal cargo loading. A system of rails is used with pallets or other fixtures for specific cargo. Rollers move the cargo, and automatical hydraulic pins lock cargo into place.