according to news reports it has till sunday to return and only two or three "windows". Is there somewhere else it can land in an emergency or does it just stay up there for good?
2007-06-21 10:16:19 · 10 answers · asked by tina k 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
well, presumably it needs a much longer than normal runway? so it can't just land anywhere
2007-06-21 10:24:42 · update #1
The alternate landing sites are at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Holloman AFB/White Sands Space Harbor, N.M.
For real emergencies, there are landing sites at:
Atlantic City International Airport, N.J.
Cherry Point, N.C.
McDill Air Force Base, Fla.
China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, Calif.
Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Oceana Naval Air Station, Va.
Dyess Air Force Base, Texas
Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass.
Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.
Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
F.S. Gabreski Airport, N.Y
... plus many others around the world. For just one example, the landing strip at Easter Island was extended with US money, so that the shuttle could there. This was inspired by by the 1985 story "Shuttle Down" by Lee Correy.
The emergency recovery sites only have the minimum number of people needed to assist the astronauts, and will respond to a shuttle landing as they would for any large aircraft emergency landing.
2007-06-21 12:15:46 · answer #1 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually it could land at most large airports as many of the runways exceed ten thousand feet. Plenty for the shuttle. But that is not desirable for a variety of reasons. Besides the cape, they can land at Edwards in California, white sands in New Mexico, an air force base in Morocco and a few others that don't come to mind.
2007-06-21 17:36:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The commander of the shuttle will not be given permission to land if the weather is going to be bad, the shuttle will remain in orbit and wait for an all clear to land.
2007-06-21 17:39:35 · answer #3 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They could still land in the raid, they just don't like to because it would cause damage to the shuttle and require extensive repairs. Besides KSC there are other sites, Edwards, and White Sands, and I would think if push came to shove, most international airports could be pressed into service. We are talking about the lives of brave people here, we would bring them back.
2007-06-21 19:37:40 · answer #4 · answered by John B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They pick another landing site and have to fly the shuttle back to Florida on the back of a 747. They don't like to do this as it's much cheaper just to land the shuttle in Florida.
2007-06-21 17:19:50 · answer #5 · answered by Michael C 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
They will use an alternate landing site, either at Edwards AFB in California or White Sands missile range in New Mexico.
2007-06-21 17:20:38 · answer #6 · answered by JLynes 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If they can't land at the Cape today or tomorrow, or possibly Saturday, they'll land at Edwards AFB. They've done it a number of times before.
2007-06-21 17:29:51 · answer #7 · answered by SallyJM 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has at least 3 different places to land (and honestly it could use one of countless suitable airstrips in a pinch). If they were really up against the gun and had to land, they'd just have to pick a spot and take their chances.
2007-06-21 17:21:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
theres an entire planet, it cant be bad weather everywhere. All they need is a big airstrip so i'm sure they could land practically anywhere in the world if they needed to
2007-06-21 17:20:46 · answer #9 · answered by Stephen M 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No; it'll have to come down by Sunday - if Florida isn't available, they'll either go to California or New Mexico.
2007-06-21 17:30:00 · answer #10 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋