Author
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Topic: STS-117: Atlantis Heads Back to Florida
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 03:02 PM
Per NASA: quote: Early Sunday morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis began its journey back to Kennedy Space Center "piggy-backed" on top of a modified 747 jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.The enroute plan includes refueling stops and a stop overnight. The anticipated arrival at the Kennedy Space Center will be no earlier than Monday July 2 with a possibility of arriving Tuesday July 3 if weather conditions are not favorable for a Monday landing.
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Lunatiki Member Posts: 237 From: Amarillo, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 07-01-2007 03:03 PM
Sadly I received notice too late that the 747 carrying the shuttle back to Florida was going to refuel in Amarillo this morning. Some people who I know did see it and said it was quite a sight.Joel |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 03:17 PM
I had been hoping that the weather would cooperate with a stop at Ellington, but that wasn't to be. After stopping in Amarillo, it flew on to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where its on the ground now. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 03:20 PM
By the way, you can track its progress live using either FlightAware or Google Earth (the latter via fboweb.com). |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 03:36 PM
One other tidbit: at the controls of the SCA today was Gordon Fullerton. |
Lunatiki Member Posts: 237 From: Amarillo, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 07-01-2007 04:41 PM
Robert, if by chance you run across any photos of it's stop in Amarillo, I'd appreciate you passing them along. Surely our local paper should have some tomorrow and if they do I will post them. thanks, Joel
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gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-01-2007 05:09 PM
Flightaware is an amazing resource. It's a pity it only covers a/c under US flight control. I like the following FAQ: quote: Can I track NASA's Space Shuttle or other space ships (UFOs, etc) on FlightAware during launch or descent? No, but that would be rather amusing; the shuttle or UFOs would have to be on an IFR flight plan to be tracked.
An exo-atmospheric IFR flight plan... .coming to you from a Regulator soon.Paul |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 05:18 PM
quote: Originally posted by Lunatiki: Robert, if by chance you run across any photos of it's stop in Amarillo, I'd appreciate you passing them along.
Amarillo.com has published photos and a video.Action 3 News out of Nebraska has video of it touching down and taxiing at Offutt AFB. |
Lunar rock nut Member Posts: 911 From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A. Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 07-01-2007 06:04 PM
It will be interesting to see how they will avoid all of the weather. I just cruised the N.W.S. radar sites and it is very active all across the southeastern states. The N.W.S. also is forecasting 60% chances daily through the 4th along the space coast.Terry |
OV-105 Member Posts: 816 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-01-2007 07:14 PM
Anyone which SCA they are using is it 905 or 911? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-01-2007 08:07 PM
NASA 905 is the SCA carrying Atlantis for this trip back to Florida. |
Lunatiki Member Posts: 237 From: Amarillo, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 07-01-2007 08:38 PM
Thanks Robert. Great images and video. I didn't know that they rarely use commerical airports, but I never really thought about it before. Makes sense.Joel |
mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 07-01-2007 11:14 PM
quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: One other tidbit: at the controls of the SCA today was Gordon Fullerton.
I wonder if Fullerton has some sort of record for the number of times he has "flown" the Shuttle (both inside and outside the shuttle cockpit). |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-02-2007 09:52 AM
Update: Atlantis atop the SCA 747 is now on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky at Fort Campbell, having touched down within the past hour. |
JD New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 07-02-2007 12:33 PM
There's real irony in Atlantis landing at Offutt AFB on its return to the Cape after carrying Clay Anderson -- Nebraska's first astronaut -- into space. Offutt isn't far from his hometown of Ashland. First time the shuttle has been at Offutt in 22 years, and it makes its return as part of the very mission that took the local guy into space.
Edited by JD |
Ben Member Posts: 1896 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: May 2000
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posted 07-02-2007 12:48 PM
They are scheduled to depart Ky at 615am ET and touchdown at KSC at 830am ET tomorrow morning now. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-03-2007 09:11 AM
Atlantis arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida this morning, touching down at 8:27 a.m. EDT. The orbiter, atop its Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) Boeing 747 had departed from Fort Campbell, Kentucky at 6:15 a.m., after having spent a day there waiting for the weather to clear from its path home. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-03-2007 10:04 AM
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MarylandSpace Member Posts: 1336 From: Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 07-03-2007 11:13 AM
Beautiful photos Rob from start to finish.We all appreciate your work and dedication. Garry |
OV-105 Member Posts: 816 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-03-2007 09:51 PM
Always wondered about this how do they get the tail cone back Dryden? Also how many do they have I would think two since there are two SCA's. |
Ben Member Posts: 1896 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: May 2000
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posted 07-03-2007 10:14 PM
The tailcone disassembles into several pieces and is shipped back (on what I'm not sure but I would guess either the SCA itself or possible the pathfinder DC-9).There are at least two (probably only two) as they have used both at once before, but someone else would have to confirm that. |
Ben Member Posts: 1896 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: May 2000
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posted 07-03-2007 10:21 PM
A quick followup, as I double checked. There are indeed only two tailcones, and apprently they are actually sent back to Dryden by truck. |
Moonpaws Member Posts: 685 From: Lee's summit, MO Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 07-03-2007 10:22 PM
I wonder how dangerous it was for the 747 pilots to release the shuttle on the early tests? Imagine having your tail fin ripped off. |
John Youskauskas Member Posts: 126 From: Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 07-04-2007 07:45 PM
The large outboard stabilizers were installed for just such an eventuality. They were intended assist with stability under normal conditions, given the uncertainty of the airflow over the tail and rudder with the shuttle attached. If the shuttle were to accidentally damage the tail during separation, the two outboards would provide enough force to keep it flying straight.The aircraft could fly safely without a rudder...it is probably the only flight control you can live without. The 747 was trimmed nose down prior to release, while the Enterprise was trimmed nose up, so they would effectively pull apart when the attach bolts were blown, helping to avoid any secondary contact between the two. Worked great five times! |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-04-2007 08:08 PM
It gives me a warm feeling inside seeing these pictures. Having seen Atlantis disappearing rapidly into the Florida sky on 8th June, it's good to know that she's safely back at base. Full circle! That might well have been my one and only shuttle launch viewing, so I hope you American tax-payers won't mind too much if I think of the good ship Atlantis as "my orbiter." Perhaps I'll see her again one day on display at KSC.... |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 07-05-2007 07:56 AM
quote: Originally posted by John Youskauskas: The aircraft could fly safely without a rudder...it is probably the only flight control you can live without.
As long as you don't lose an engine ... then it would get a bit sporty without a rudder. ------------------ John Capobianco Camden DE |
hlbjr Member Posts: 475 From: Delray Beach Florida USA Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 07-05-2007 09:41 AM
Amen John. I've made complete flights (for fun only of course and in light aircraft) using only rudder and elevator trim. Losing a rudder might cause the doctor to work extra hard pulling the seat cushion out of my hind end.Harvey Brown |
tegwilym Member Posts: 2331 From: Sturgeon Bay, WI Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 07-05-2007 10:49 AM
quote: Originally posted by hlbjr: Amen John. I've made complete flights (for fun only of course and in light aircraft) using only rudder and elevator trim. Losing a rudder might cause the doctor to work extra hard pulling the seat cushion out of my hind end.Harvey Brown
As a flight instructor, I don't know how many times I have told people to use the rudder. The average pilot is a good example of how the rudder isn't needed! ...until nagged by their instructor all the time "Right rudder!" or "Step on the ball". Heh! Tom (Nagging CFI)
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John Youskauskas Member Posts: 126 From: Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 07-05-2007 05:19 PM
I totally agree with all points made...and I sure wouldn't want to lose an engine at the same time that I had a flight control failure (or departure, in this case). I was just saying that with all other things being equal, if I had to pick one flight control that I could safely land without the use of, it would be the rudder, assuming of course a lack of considerable crosswind. Interestingly, a few years back Gordon Fullerton flight tested a MD-11 that had a digital system which converted flight control inputs into engine thrust commands. In the case of a United 211 (Sioux City) type of event, this system would engaged and allow the crew to fly the aircraft without any hydraulic flight controls. Given the rarity of such an event, and the ability to "engineer out" the flaws that led to it, it's highly unlikely you will see it on airliners anytime soon, but he proved that it could be done. |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-08-2007 12:27 AM
Today's picture (07/08) of Atlantis is rather neat (but not recent): http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html Chris. |
Lunatiki Member Posts: 237 From: Amarillo, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 07-31-2007 03:27 PM
Here are some images from the shuttle's recent stop in Amarillo. Some pretty good close-ups. Big pics.... http://marswatch.amaonline.com/shuttle1.jpg http://marswatch.amaonline.com/shuttle2.jpg http://marswatch.amaonline.com/shuttle.jpg http://marswatch.amaonline.com/shuttle3.jpg |