It's rare to see the space shuttle flying on top of its modified 747 carrier. But this image of Endeavour riding its trusty jumbo over the Mojave Desert, returning from mission STS-126, is absolutely awesome.
Space Shuttle mission STS-126—which brought the materials and made the renovations at the International Space Station—had to land at the Edwards Air Force Base on November 30. Here you can see it as it touches down that day, on Runway 4 at 4:25:06 PM.

The landing was actually a detour from its original landing point in Cape Canaveral, Florida, caused by weather conditions. When this strange occurrence happens, NASA has to fly back the shuttle to the Kennedy Space Center, so it can get revised and fixed for the next flight. In this image you can see Endeavour getting prepared for that flight.

And finally, the almost impossible take off.