Shuttle Re-entry

[Fly_Chick]

Has anyone seen a shuttle re-entry, particularly at night? STS114 is scheduled back Monday morning at 4:46 am EDT. Just wondering what to expect or what to look for. The news stated there would be a sonic boom.

I have not seen any TFRs yet for the re-entry time-frame either.

 

[KigAir]

How many night landings have there been? I thought all landings were done during the day.

 

[lowlycfi]

Saw one at night once. It was about 4am and I was walking to a deer blind up in the Texas Hill Country. Scared the s--- out of me at first because I had no idea what it was. Looked like a BIG meteor except it was traveling horizontally and leaving a big smoke/vapor trail that was backlit by moonlight. Very cool. Didn't know what I was looking at until I got home and read the newspaper and saw the shuttle had come home.

 

[ifleyelearz]

I heard it'll be coming from the south this time...over Cuba and the Gulf. Too bad I'm not in FL...that would be a pretty sweet site!

 

[Fly_Chick]

I heard it'll be coming from the south this time...over Cuba and the Gulf. Too bad I'm not in FL...that would be a pretty sweet site!

Anyone know what rwy, 15 or 33? If from the south I am assuming rwy 33. Someone once posted the approach plate, yet cannot find it right now.

 

[Flying Illini]

Should be pretty cool. I'm a little surprised they are doing this one at night. All launches have to be during the day for photographs...figured that for the first re-entry, this one would have to be during the day as well.

Funny isn't it? The news has the timeframe for reentry, yet the FAA hasn't issued a TFR yet. And people wonder why pilots bust TFRs...b/c they pop up at the last minute when they've known about the need to issue this particular one for nearly 9 days now!

 

[Resume Writer]

I just hope the re-entry is without tragedy. Commander Husband on the last shuttle was the brother of an AWA pilot that I used to fly with all the time. It was a very sad time for the family. He was very proud of his brother.
Kathy

 

[User546]

There's been quite a few night time shuttle landings. None in the past couple years I can think of, but at the begining of the the shuttle program they came in quite frequently at night.

A search on the web revealed that up to 2001, there had been 18 night landings previously. 13 having landed in Florida.

 

[TonyC]

There's been quite a few night time shuttle landings. None in the past couple years I can think of,...

Of course, there haven't been any day landings in the last couple of years, either.







.

 

[KigAir]

Anyone know what rwy, 15 or 33? If from the south I am assuming rwy 33. Someone once posted the approach plate, yet cannot find it right now.

I'd like to hear their missed approached brief.

 

[cj610]

I saw the shuttle re-enter one night. We were flying from Detroit down to Houston. Up at FL410. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a shooting star...so I thought. No, its not buning out. Must be a meteor or ICBM. We metioned it to ATC that there was this fire shooting across the sky. They didn't seem to concerned about it. When we got down to Houston and walked into the FBO we saw on CNN that the shuttle had just safely landed in Florida.

It came in from the west going east. As it shot through the sky it left an orange contrail of fire behind it. It only took like 4 or 5 minutes to go from the horizon in the west to the horizon to the east. It was a little disturbing flying at FL410 and seeing this thing way above us and not knowing what it was.

CJ610

 

[2000flyer]

STS-114 is due to land at 4:46AM EDT. As others have said, the approach will be from the south. I wonder if Cuba issued an over flight permit and will charge them for it!

In all seriousness, lets hope this goes without a hitch.

Side note: on a previous flight the commander was said he wanted to be as close as possible to his target speed over the numbers. He missed it by 0.3 knots. Now thats impressive!

 

[minitour]

Side note: on a previous flight the commander was said he wanted to be as close as possible to his target speed over the numbers. He missed it by 0.3 knots. Now thats impressive!

Wasn't there a story on the first shuttle mission similar to that? There were two guys in the shuttle (can't remember who), but the one was calling out airspeeds and just as he reached (I wanna say 186) the airspeed they were supposed to land at they heard the mains squeek on...

Pretty impressive there if ya ask me.

-mini

 

[TurboS7]

The track will bring it right over my house, guess I have to get up at 0420 to get on the roof and watch it.

 

[Godvek]

Does anyone know if the Shuttle auto lands from re-entry? For some reason I believe the commander and pilot do not land it themselves unless the computers have malfunctioned. Also, there are two sonic booms during re-entry. The wing and elevator boom at different times, from what I have heard. But what do I know, I am not a Shuttle pilot.

 

[Fly_Chick]

Does anyone know if the Shuttle auto lands from re-entry? For some reason I believe the commander and pilot do not land it themselves unless the computers have malfunctioned. Also, there are two sonic booms during re-entry. The wing and elevator boom at different times, from what I have heard. But what do I know, I am not a Shuttle pilot.

I cannot find it now, yet there was a post on flightinfo a couple months ago about the re-entry, one shot only, pure glide, 15 degree glide slope.

I also heard there is the initial sonic boom, then a second aftermath of the sound. Anyone know how much time after the sonic boom and the actual landing? Just checking to see if I can wait until the sonic boom to get out of bed and have enough time to watch the landing.

 

[SiuDude]

The landing is planned for runway 15. The shuttle will come from the SSE and enter the heading alignment cylinder counterclockwise: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/124490main_sts114_ksc201_short.gif

I'll be there!
This morning, about 5 a.m., both the shuttle and the ISS passed over central Florida (had a great view from MCO). First the shuttle appeared, followed shortly by the ISS. It's a neat site to see two "stars" move quickly through the entire sky in unison.

 

[JCJ]

Here is the thread with the approach plate

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=55365

the link to the approach plate is towards the end of the thread

It is an MLS approach. I think it's actually hand flown

 

[Fly_Chick]

Thanks JCJ!

 

[MKaprocki]

The only crew intervention required is to lower the gear and to brake on the ground. Although it can land by itself, I believe they usually hand fly it through the end of the TAEM phase.