Shuttle Re-entry

[9GClub]

If they land at Edwards or White Sands, which runways will they use?

 

[Sniper Bob]

Trivia question I don't know the answer to: How did Florida get picked for the launch and primary landing site?

 

[dseagrav]

Trivia question I don't know the answer to: How did Florida get picked for the launch and primary landing site?

If we launch it, and it blows up, it does so over the Atlantic. Also, it's closer to the equator, which means lower orbital inclinations, which are cheaper on fuel to get to and maintain than high inclinations. Also, back in the 60s and 70s, it meant we could sail navy vessels right up to the launch complex and deliver parts / men, I don't know if this is done anymore.

 

[Wolfy]

Duck and cover?

Does anyone remember concerns that people had that some of the pieces of Columbia were radioactive when they rained down accross Texas?

I wonder if that was just an urban myth or there was some truth to it?

If true, then what is radioactive on board the shuttle? Anyone know anything about this?

 

[mzaharis]

See "Moonport", NASA's official history on the creation of the Cape Canaveral facilities, focused primarily on Apollo, for a detailed discussion of why Canaveral was selected. It also discusses the pre-Apollo Canaveral developments in brief. Shuttle operations were built off of Apollo infrastructure (VAB, LC-39 A and B, launchers, crawlers, etc.).

Even in 1961, with all of the Mercury, Air Force, and potential Gemini infrastructure in place, there was still a pretty good chance that Cumberland Island, GA, could have been selected for the Apollo launch facilities. Other locations were also considered. See chapter 5 for all the details.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/cover.html

Don't know about the Shuttle, but the Apollo 13 lunar module had a few pounds of plutonium on it when it came back to earth. Usually, the LMs were left on the lunar surface (descent stage) or in a lunar orbit that eventually crashed into the moon in most cases (ascent stage - see Apollo by the Numbers for the gory details on location, energy, etc.). Apollo 13 had an experiment that was powered by plutonium decay, and was going to be left on the moon, but when the LM was used as a "liferaft", it was flown back to earth, and only discarded before reentry. The LM, including its plutonium, ended up in the ocean (at least the parts that didn't burn up, including the plutonium,which was in a graphite cask, and sunk in 20,000 feet of water).

 

[bocefus]

"Also, back in the 60s and 70s, it meant we could sail navy vessels right up to the launch complex and deliver parts / men, I don't know if this is done anymore. "


Not only is not done anymore, but it never was

 

[mzaharis]

"Also, back in the 60s and 70s, it meant we could sail navy vessels right up to the launch complex and deliver parts / men, I don't know if this is done anymore. "


Not only is not done anymore, but it never was

Maybe not navy, but barges were constantly used to deliver the first and second stages of the Saturn V rockets. They're currenly also used for some launchers, including the Delta IV (Boeing built a new barge for this). They may also be used for certain SRB components (not sure, though) Don't know offhand whether they were navy or not.

This picture shows some Saturn-1 barge activity at Cape Canaveral.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/ch3-4.html

 

[bocefus]

Yes, a BOEING, not Navy vessel, and hardly right up to the launch complex.

 

[dseagrav]

Not only is not done anymore, but it never was

So what did the Navy do with all those capsules they recovered, then?

 

[mzaharis]

Yes, a BOEING, not Navy vessel, and hardly right up to the launch complex.

Boeing for Delta IV. I don't know who managed the barges back in those days.

There were some interesting proposals for launching Saturn V's from barge-borne launch pads during the development of Canaveral, but as you've alluded, those were nixed due to technical issues.