Shuttle Re-entry

[User546]

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

I meant the past couple years when they were actively flying the space shuttle! I knew I should've clarified that earlier!

Anyways... Good luck to the Discovery crew tomorrow! I'm sure it'll go off without a hitch!

 

[User546]

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

That's some pretty cool telemetry! Judging by the data shown, the shuttle is currently travelling at 4.7 miles a second, 282.3 miles a minute, at a cool 66.4 miles above the earth!

 

[hotwings402]

About what time will the sonic boom be heard?

 

[mzaharis]

That's some pretty cool telemetry! Judging by the data shown, the shuttle is currently travelling at 4.7 miles a second, 282.3 miles a minute, at a cool 66.4 miles above the earth!

I have a hunch that the picture must have been a screenshot from a previous mission - 4.7 mps and 66.4 miles altitude are more indicative of the start of a reentry, and aren't quite compatible with a stable orbit, and would represent numbers typical after the OMS reentry burn. Entry interface is considered to have occurred at 400,000 feet (76 miles).

Interesting info from the Space Shuttle News Reference - Written back in 1988, so the software and avionics references are a bit out of date, but the rest of it is pretty accurate, and possibly the best source of info on Shuttle operations.

Deorbit:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/events/deorbit/

Entry through to landing:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/events/entry/

BTW, is that approach plate for real? It looks good, but the pilots would have been managing their approach via TACAN considerably prior to the region covered by the plate, and wouldn't have a particularly long amount of time to transfer to using approach plates for the approach, especially given that they're relying on computer information for energy management. Is that a spoof (albeit a somewhat convincing one, as far as I can tell) because I find it difficult to believe that the pilots are looking at it while landing. The only real use for it that I could see is if they needed to make them to satisfy some FAA paperwork requirement.

 

[Groundpounder]

Do you think I'll be able to see or hear anything in Ft Lauderdale? The ground track looks like it will be over the western part of the state, and I don't want to get out of bed at 0400 for nothing.

 

[NJdispatcher]

Looks like a 0622E ETA now due to low clouds. Also being reported by MSNBC that this would be the second and final landing opportunity.Not sure what they need for landing mins but Melbourne's TAF is

(2)TAF AMD KMLB 080614Z 080606 21004KT P6SM SCT006 BKN250
TEMPO 0811 BKN005 BKN200

 

[groundpointsix]

CNN is reporting they scrubbed the landing for this morning; they'll try again tomorrow at 0507 Eastern.

 

[SiuDude]

Several stations in Orlando, as well as CNN, have been showing an animation of the flight path, that will be flown by the shuttle, using satellite maps powered by Google Earth. The funny thing, is that their animation shows the shuttle landing at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as opposed to the Shuttle Landing Facility. Should somebody tell them? Nah.

 

[Lilah]

Had a heads up from some friends at JSC and made some plans to witness a shuttle reentry over Texas. It was in the late 1990s and flew about the same track Columbia flew on her last mission.

We lived in the Houston area, rented a plane, and flew to the north side of Conroe, not exactly sure what we were looking for. We'd see points of light, speculate, and then be dissapointed when they didn't really move.

The rear seat passenger saw it first, and there was NO question what we were seeing. As it passed, it left a spectacular glowing plasma trail from horizon to horizon! It remained glowing minutes after the shuttle had passed.

To give you an idea how impressive it was, our passenger, not a pilot at the time, said she would willingly get up at any hour of the night to see it again. It was one of the more spectacular things I've seen from an airplane as well.

BTW, it was night time when the shuttle made it's descent over us, and ever since I check the groundtrack to see if it's ever going to be anywhere near I happen to be.

Lilah

 

[kilroy]

The first time I heard the sonic boom I thought a car hit my house pretty intenseI've only seen a re-entry once pretty cool.

 

[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.