Space Forum / Shuttle / August 2005

Does the Shuttle get a significant portion of its cross range capability
through its orientation while firing the OMS engines for the de-orbit burn ?
Or does it focus 100% of OMS on its velocity vector to reduce its speed
without trying to change its direction at all ?

Is there going to be the same emphasis on new visual imagery of the orbiter
re-entering?
Obviously it would be too late to do anything from an immediate safety
standpoint but could be useful research.

Welcome home Boys and Girls :-)
Tommy@Denmark

<whew>  It's been a long night here on the left coast - but Discovery
is down safely.  Welcome home.
Time for bed for me however.
D.

If so, where abouts would be we looking, and more to the point, WHEN?
Thanks heaps,
Cheers
Mike

Just goes to show, you cannot control the weather!
Brian

I went to bed. How close did they get to the burn?  Did they close the
Payload doors?
Thanks

NASA weather observations acft flown
====================================
It is Tues, 1:30am EDT (0530z).
 Preparations are underway for the arrival and landing of STS-114.

All,
I'm looking for a video showing the very first launch of
Columbia (April 1981), including booster separation.  I don't
find anything on nasa.gov.  Anyone ?  

Excellent descriptions and observations by shuttle pilot on reentry
appearance, dangers
August 7, 2005 at 7:57 AM //     Discovery's risky return
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/5546380.html

Everybody biting their nails off yet?
For smiles, look at this picture:
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/124685main_s114e7139_hires.jpg
Does it look to you like John Philips (in the background) is dreamily

Question:
Does anyone know if the public viewing area at EDW would be open for
landing should STS-114 be diverted to the West Coast tomorrow?  I
realize it's going to be the middle of the night, but if the weather

Rather than try to fight to keep the foam on the shuttle, why not go to
the other extreme and use a very low density, fragile foam that shears
off completely in flight while the shuttle is still moving relatively
slowly at, say, 100-200 km/hr. The shuttle's fuel tank foam is

FLATODAY Journal stated this morning:
"We copy that," Eileen Collins says from orbit, with little reaction
beyond saying she is heading into the checklist for a 24-hour extra
stay in orbit

A random thought popped into my mind.
Has the shuttle gained weight due to dust and dirt getting wedged into
all the cracks over the years?
How well known is the weight of the shuttle?