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Shuttle Discovery Lands Safely

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the congratulations-to-all dept.

Tuxedo Jack writes "CNN and NASA report that the space shuttle Discovery has landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Concerns for its safe return were raised when spacewalks were necessary to repair the vehicle when external components were damaged; however, the shuttle landed safely with Commander Eileen Collins at the control yoke."

7 of 668 comments (clear)

  1. What was that? by Fjornir · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A quick question to any shuttle geeks who might be reading: I watched the landing and then found myself staring at an infrared shot of the aft end of Discovery on the ground. To the immediate left of the vertical stabilizer/rudder assembly there was a patch of air that kept lighting up and going dim, kind of like what you'd see if you light a bit of gas on fire. Any ideas what that might be? It didn't look rythmic enough to be a landing light or steady enough to be heat venting.

    Just curious...

    --
    I want a new world. I think this one is broken.
  2. anyone else woken up by the sonic booms? by SpecialAgentXXX · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I slept thought my 5 AM alarms and was going to be late for work, but the sonic booms woke me up. I wonder how many people forgot or did not know about the Space Shuttle landing. My family thought it was an earthquake.

  3. Re:Welcome home by Randseed · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Hmm... wonder if any of the crew are /.'ers?

    Slashdot interview! (No, I'm serious. Good publicity for them among people who want to see the space program continue.)

  4. Heard the sonic boom... by jeblucas · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My wife and I were just getting the baby back to sleep when this loud BOOOOOM blew the curtains in a little. (Baby slept through it.) We just looked at each other and I went off to check the CalTech Earthquake advisory site for local quakes. My wife suggested the shuttle, but then pointed out it was to land in Florida. No quakes obviously, then I waited to hear sirens rushing to the site of a gas explosion. None of that either. Maybe one of the Perseids was a little bigger than normal--but there wasn't any light. I finally saw that Discovery landed safely at 5:12 PDT at Edwards AFB--about two hundred miles away. Pretty cool.

    --
    blarg.
  5. Re:woman driver lands shuttle safely by TrippTDF · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I knew that equality of the sexes had reached a new level when I saw Collins get interviewed a few months ago and the interviewer asked "What's the significance of having a female pilot for the Return to Flight"?

    Collins gave the reporter a half-condesending look and said "There is no significance".

    Finally, we have reached a point where no one gives a shit about equality of the sexes questions. I think we can say the women's rights movement has culturally ingrained itself into American Culture, because no one really gives a shit about it anymore.

  6. Never gets old by rcmiv · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have watched so many of these landings, and it still amazes me. I remember watching the first launch in grade school, and the first landing.

    I was tuned into NASA to when Columbia launched and heard mission control talking about the foam impact on the lead wing. That whole mission I kept shaking my head at follow up reports that the damage was inconsequential. I got up just in time to watch Columbia break up that morning. It was a heart-rending thing to see happen live.

    This morning was fascinating. NASA coverage on the web just absolutely rocks. Even with the visual on the shuttle the whole way down, I still have a hard time conceptualizing that nature of that descent, from 17K mph 220 miles altitude to wheels stopped on the ground in a hour.

    Incredible. Flawless. Heroic.

    Great work NASA, JPL, Discovery crew! Welcome home. I hope you fly again, soon.

    -rcmiv

  7. Saw the plasma trail... by whyde · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Living in Austin, TX, we once found out that a night landing would take the orbiter overhead, and saw the most amazing sci-fi movie special effect of its plasma trail, followed several minutes later by a faint double-boom.

    We went in to watch the landing, and the plasma trail was still boiling away overhead (faintly) when it touched down at the Cape just NINE MINUTES LATER.

    Then we realized just how blazing fast this thing drops in for a "landing", since it traveled 1000 miles in under 10 minutes, and made a perfect landing. Rocket scientists deserve their title.