Comments on: Shuttle lands in a few minutes!

By: BP

BP — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:01:06 +0000

For you guys in Jacksonville…the shuttle came in on a descending node, or northern trajectory over the continental US this time. It was the first time since before Columbia; and thus the flight path was not too far from Jacksonville and Daytona. That’s why the booms were heard so well up in this area.

By: Mori

Mori — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:37:03 +0000

BA, I don’t know if you’ll read this and it’s only marginally on topic, but there’s something I’m curious about.

Instead of dropping the ISS into the earth’s atmosphere to burn up after it’s completed (which seems like a tremendous waste), has there ever been any consideration of strapping a few additional boosters to it and crashlanding it on the moon? Seems like you could get a useful fund of components and building materials out of it for a very low cost compared to the initial assembly cost of the beast.

I did consider the idea of just putting it in lunar orbit, but that raises problems with maintaining human presence on board and cost of constant resupply missions if it’s to remain functional.

I guess if I don’t get a response to this I’ll try and do some basic calculations myself and figure out the fatal flaw in my idea

By: Bryan Price

Bryan Price — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:24:46 +0000

I got a double sonic boom this afternoon a few minutes before it landed. I had no idea that this far north (Jacksonville) that I would get to hear it!

My wife thought something hit the roof, because it was rather directional, coming from the north east. And of course, being in the north east corner of the house, I got the brunt of it.

It was still cool.

By: The Centipede

The Centipede — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:01:48 +0000

Ahh, the space shuttle. Where the landing flare starts (long) before the 50-foot obstruction clearance margin.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:17:56 +0000

Just got in from outside our Ed building here at KSC. What a beautiful day! And landing was superb! I always mentally compare the shuttle landing with the approaches I watch at Orlando Int’l as I drive by on the Beeline, and still am amazed at how steep and fast the orbiter comes down. But its always a great feeling when wheels stop and you know everyone is OK, and then to remember that three more humans are still up there!

By: thatguy

thatguy — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:10:55 +0000

I dig how many of their wacky high-tech assistance vehicles are just modified used trucks.

By: Brandon Behr

Brandon Behr — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:10:23 +0000

Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been meaning to watch a shuttle landing for years and now I have.