NASA’s Super Guppy Makes Ferry Flight

The massive turboprop cargo aircraft was designed in the 1960s to accommodate oversized loads, such as body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

On Monday, the behemoth landed at Huntsville Regional Airport (KUTS). "This unique visitor is always a sight to see!" the airport said on X, formerly Twitter. 

On board, according to NASA, was the heat shield that protected the Orion crew module during last year's Artemis I test flight. The shield was then taken to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.

"Technicians at Marshall will use the center’s specialized milling tool to remove the heat shield’s outer layer of ablative material, a protective coating called Avcoat, as part of routine postflight analysis," NASA said in a release.