Space Shuttle X-Country Back to Florida

[Air 1]

Anybody know where the stops are on this trip? I'm guessing its kept from the public. I saw online somewhere they make a large arch with the flight back, like going around through KC, STL, and BNA. Anyone know why they would they take this route? Looks like they'll try early Friday morning if they don't have any more delays.

 

[satpak77]

Commonly Kelly AFB in San Antonio

 

[User546]

I found a great article on the shuttle and it's 747 counter-part while searching for the information you were asking about.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/discover_plane_001122.html

Got a lot of great information about how it all goes down!

As for where its landing enroute, I know in the past it's landed in Offut AFB Nebraska, Davis-Mothan In Tucson, Fort Bliss, TX, and even DFW in 1989 after having to divert for weather. I would think it would all have to do with where the more favorable the weather was as to where it would stop over enroute. NASA tends to use only Air Force Bases as there stop-over points.

 

[Air 1]

Thanks for the website User997. That has a lot of interesting info about the trip. I would've thought they'd beef up the inside of the plane to carry the weight of the shuttle on top, but I guess not.

 

[gkrangers]

Yeah...probably weather dictated.

But they probably have a primary, with somebody backing them up, and somebody backing them up, and somebody backing them up, and somebody backing them up...and so on...and so forth...

 

[Fury220]

I know for a fact they've stopped at KSPS before. Our 13k' runway helps, of course.

 

[Long Time Gone]

They've also landed at Ft. Campbell, KY, home of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division.

 

[erj-145mech]

I've visited it in Houston at KEFD when it RON'd there before. It allowed the employees at Johnson Space Center to see it in person.

 

[doug_or]

It passed over DRK VOR in Arizona this morning. 12,000 ft I believe.

 

[User546]

NEWSFLASH!!

I was talking to a Flight Service Briefer this morning for a VFR Cross Country, and I asked her specifically about whether or not they publish the route and if there was any flight restrictions around it when it does and lands.

She said it was scheduled to land at Altus AFB in Altus, Oklahoma this afternoon. She said there was no restrictions that she was aware of, and it'd been so long since she had last dealt with one, she didn't know whether or not to expect one.

She also mentioned that it had landed previously at Tinker AFB in OKC as well. (To keep the list going above.)

 

[User546]

It passed over DRK VOR in Arizona this morning. 12,000 ft I believe.

12,000 feet sounds a little low! Isn't the elevation up there around 5 to 6,000 feet?? On top of that the fuel burn would've been horrendous at that low of an altitude!

 

[gkrangers]

12,000 feet sounds a little low! Isn't the elevation up there around 5 to 6,000 feet?? On top of that the fuel burn would've been horrendous at that low of an altitude!

Maybe thats why they have to stop, to refuel?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

12,000 feet sounds a little low! Isn't the elevation up there around 5 to 6,000 feet?? On top of that the fuel burn would've been horrendous at that low of an altitude!

might be a bit rough on the orbiter up at FL430 and 475kts.

gas-cheap
shuttles-expensive

 

[gkrangers]

might be a bit rough on the orbiter up at FL430 and 475kts.

gas-cheap
shuttles-expensive

Pffffffffftttttttttt....the shuttle does 25,000 MPH in space!

Oh wait..friction...atmosphere...right.

 

[westwind]

In '85 or '86, I was awakened while camped at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and witnessed it flying REALLY low over us. Man, was that a cool wakeup call!

 

[doug_or]

The guys in Seminoles were getting out of its way, so.......

Seems like that would be max IFR alt if they were restricted due to o2.(not saying thats the case)

edet: smelling

 

[erj-145mech]

Might be too heavy to go any higher. Empty weight on the orbiter is in the neighborhood of 227,000lbs. One gallon of jet fuel will push the Orbiter and transporter about 231 feet down the airway. Also can not have any visible moisture en route.

 

[erj-145mech]

As of 1945 EDT, the Orbiter is RON at KBAD. Story on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/08/19/shuttle.return.ap/index.html

 

[A.W.E.S.O.M-O]

FlightID: NASA905
Status: FILED
Filed With: KZFW - Dalls/Fort Worth, TX
Equipment: /B747/I
Proposed Departure Time: 2030Z
Departing: LTS ALTUS AFB
Destination: BAD BARKSDALE AFB
Route of Flight: LTS.ODILL5.SPS..FUZ..TXK191045..CADOZ..BAD/0130
ETA: 2228
Speed: 0310
Altitude: 150

 

[User546]

Good find Awesom-o! Mind sharing the site you got that info from?

 

[A.W.E.S.O.M-O]

www.fboweb.com

My employer subscribes, i think its only 10 bucks a month

 

[414Flyer]

Probably Butters told him, in exchange for AWESOMO giving the anal suppository to him.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

Might be too heavy to go any higher. Empty weight on the orbiter is in the neighborhood of 227,000lbs. One gallon of jet fuel will push the Orbiter and transporter about 231 feet down the airway. Also can not have any visible moisture en route.

Probably the drag from the orbiter trying to hump the thing! 227k is not a problem for a 74........at least not when it is on the inside!!!

Gotta be a monster fuel hog in that config though!

 

[Mikeoscar]

It did stop in LTS. You could get flight explorer and watch it online. There was a tanker flying about 20 miles ahead of it the whole way.

 

[Metro752]

Probably Butters told him, in exchange for AWESOMO giving the anal suppository to him.

B b b b BUTTERS. TIMMAY! lmao

 

[PHX767]

Useless trivia...

When the shuttle was landing out at Edwards AFB frequently back in the day, NASA wanted to see what they could to eliminate the enroute stops on the way back to the Cape. Our answer (from the tanker guys perspective) well, how about air refueling? The mil version of the 747 has a refueling receptacle, just slap one on the nose of that baby and there ya are! I even vaguely remember that there was some proximity testing to see if it was feasible. Turns out that the orbiter materials are really sensitive to even a little bit of fuel spray that would normally occur, and probably even the exhaust emissions from the tanker engines were bad news.

Second solution, hang an air refueling boom on the 747 and have one of our KC-10's reverse refuel (pump fuel UP through the boom) and that way there would be no spray on the shuttle! I was an obvious volunteer to fly the boom for that mission.

Alas, the ideas got dropped into oblivion, and they still hopscotch across the country.