Space Shuttle Orbiter Landing

7/31/2019 Space Shuttle Orbiter Landing

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Landing the Space Shuttle Orbiter

As the processing and launch site othe nations Space Shuttle Program, NASAs

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida is making theVision or Space Exploration a reality.

Kennedy is the primar y end-o-mission landingsite or the shuttle orbiter. An alternate site is EdwardsAir Force Base (EA FB) in Caliornia.

Te Space Shuttle Program began w ith landingsat EAFB because the site oered more stable andpredictable weather conditions and a diverse choiceo concrete and spacious dry lake bed runways. Butlanding the orbiter at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility ispreerred because it saves about ve days o processingtime or its next mission.

A KSC landing also el iminate s exposing the

orbiter, a national resource, to the uncertainties andpotential dangers o a cross-country erry trip atop oneo NASAs two modied Boeing 747 Shuttle CarrierAircra .

Unlike launches, or which a go or lio can begiven within mi nutes o changing weather conditionsduring the launch w indow, a change in the landing sitemust be chosen up to 90 minutes prior to landing.

From 1981 through February 2003, there were113 Shuttle missions: 61landed at Kennedy, 49atEAFB, and one at the Northrup Strip in New Mexico.Te Space Shuttle Challenger on Mission SS 51-L in1986 was destroyed in an accident shortly aer lio.Te Shuttle Columbia was destroyed over exas in2003 as it was maki ng its landing approach.

Orbiter Discovery approaches touch-down on runway 33 at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility, successully

completing mission STS-95 in 1998.

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Landing History

Te initial six shuttle missions rom April 1981 through April1983 were planned to end at EAFB so the crews and support teamscould gain experience in landings. For SS-3, the scheduled Cali-ornia landing had to be sw itched to the Northrup Strip at WhiteSands, N. M., because o wet conditions at Edwards. SS-7 in June1983 was the rst end-o-mission landing scheduled or KSC. Teorbiter Challenger on that ight landed instead at EAFB, two orbitslater than planned, because o marginal weather conditions at KSC.

Te rst landing at KSC was Mission 41-B on Feb. 11, 1984.KSC was the landing site or our o the next six missions. Extensivebrake damage and a blown tire at the conclusion o the 51-D missionin April 1985 prompted ofcials to postpone urther KSC landingsuntil nose wheel steering and improved brakes were installed in theorbiters. Landings were scheduled to resume at KSC with Mission61-C in January 1986, but that ight also was diverted to EAFB dueto bad weather in Florida. Te Space Shuttle Challenger accidentless than two weeks later resulted in renewed concerns about saety,

weather and runway conditions . KSC landings a gain were put onhold.Planned end-o-mission landings at KSC resumed in 1991 aer

saety modications and improvements were begun on the orbitersand KSCs runway. Te orbiters were outtted with upgraded mainlanding gear, carbon brakes, additional nose wheel steering capabil-ity and improved tires. Drag chutes also were installed on the ourorbiters to help reduce rollout speed aer touchdown. Endeavour,delivered to KSC in 1991, was the rst to have this modication.

Te original lateral cross grooves that were cut on the KSCrunway to help prevent hydroplaning were ground down on the rst3,500 eet (1,067 meters) at both ends o the landing strip to reduce

the riction and abrasion levels on the orbiters tires at the time otouchdown. In 1994, the entire runway surace was abraded to asmoother texture to reduce tire wear even urther. Other enhance-ments or upgrades implemented were resuracing the 1,000-oot(305-meter) overruns and rebuilding, strengthening and paving t he50-oot (15-meter) runway shoulders, and replacing runway edgelights.

Returning From Space

A return ing orbiters glide to Kennedy Space Center begins onthe opposite side o the planet. Te deorbit burn that will bring theorbiter back to Earth occurs about an hour beore landing.

Approximately 30 minutes beore touchdown, the orbiterbegins entering the atmosphere at an altitude o about 400,000 eet(121,920 meters). At approximately 45,000 eet (13,716 meters),the orbiter starts maneuvers that enable it to intercept the landingapproach corridor at the desired altitude and velocity. As the orbiternears the landing site, t he commander takes manua l control and

steers the vehicle into the nearest o two Heading Alignment Cones(HACs) to line up the spacecra with the center line o the runway.

Depending on the mission and its orbital parameters, the paththe vehicle takes as it enters the atmosphere and lands can varygreatly.

Te ground track is determined by the inclination o launch.Generally, re-entry will ollow one o two general patterns, eitherrom a low-inclination or a high-inclination orbit.

For example, space shuttles carrying most communicationsatellites usually have a low-inclination orbit a launch azimuth oabout 90 degrees which places the vehicle in an orbit that has a28.5-degree inclination to the equator.

Tat means that as it circles the Earth, the orbiters groundtrack ascends to approximately 28.5 degrees above the equator (28.5degrees north latitude) and 28.5 degrees below the equator (28.5degrees south latitude) a relatively narrow band o the globe.

ypical ly, re-entry rom this orbit begins with a deorbit burnover the Indian Ocean o the western coast o Australia . Usually,the ight path o the orbiter then proceeds across the Pacic Oceanto the Baja Peninsula, across Mexico and southern exas, out overthe Gul and on to the west coast o Florida.

Depending on the mission, the orbiter passes over Floridas westcoast somewhere between Sarasota and Yankeetown and proceeds

across the central part o the state, with its telltale tw in sonic boomsheralding itsarrival.

Te nal approach to the KSC landing strip takes the orbiterover the itusville-Mims area, and out over the Atlantic Ocean,where it circles or a landing approach rom either the southeast(Runway 33) or the northwest (Runway 15), depending largely onwind direction and speed.

Shuttles launched into high-inclination orbits generally ollowthe second major re-entry pattern. Usually, these missions y in an

The gures above or a KSC landing are approximate.

They will vary or each mission, depending on several

actors. In this case, the returning orbiter weighs less than

220,000 pounds (99,792 kilograms) and the glide-slope

approach is 20 degrees.

Landing the Orbiter at KSC 2 NASA Facts


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Deorbit Maneuver to Approach and

Landing Interace Events

Deorbit Burn60 min. to Touchdown282 km (175 miles)26,498 km/h (16,465 mph)

Entry Interace31 min. to Touchdown122 km (76 miles)25,898 km/h (16,093 mph)

Maximum Heating20 min. to Touchdown70 km (43.5 miles)24,200 km/h (15,038 mph)

Exit Blackout12 min. to Touchdown55 km (34 miles)13,317 km/h (8,275 mph)

Terminal AreaEnergy Management5.5 min. to Touchdown25,338 M (83,134 t.)2,735 km/h (1,700 mph)

Approach and Landing86 sec. to Touchdown12 km (7.5 miles) to Runway682 km/h (424 mph)

885 km(550 miles)

96 km(60 miles)

20,865 km(12,966 miles)

2,856 km

(1,775 miles)

12 km(7.5 miles)

Approach and Landing Interace

to Touchdown Events

These two charts represent an example o the sequence o events or fight milestones rom the deorbit maneuver o the orbiter

through touchdown. The times, distances and speeds will vary or dierent missions, according to a variety o actors such as

mission inclination, trajectory and glide slope.

Approach and Landing Interace86 sec. to Touchdown12 km (7.5 miles) to Runway682 km/h (424 mph)3,048 M (10,000 t.) Altitude

Initiate Prefare32 sec. to Touchdown3.2 km (2 miles) to Runway565 km/h (351 mph)533 M (1,749 t.) Altitude

Complete Prefare17 sec. to Touchdown1,079 M (3,540 t.) to Runway496 km/h (308 mph)41 M (134.5 t.) Altitude

Wheels Down14 sec. to Touchdown335 M (1,099 t.) to Runway430 km/h (267 mph)27 M (89 t.) Altitude

Touchdown689 M (2,261 t.)rom End o Runway346 km/h (215 mph)

Flare to 1.5 o

1.5 o Glide/Slope

20o Glide/Slope

orbit with a 57-degree inclination to the equator. Te ground tracko these orbits covers a much broader section o the globe, as theorbiter reaches as ar north as 57 degrees above the equator and 57degrees below the equator. Tis type o orbit is well-suited to Earth-observation missions.

Te entry ground track o high-inclination orbits will var y.Depending on where re-entry occurs, landing on a descending por-

tion o an orbit could take the orbiter across Canada and the easternUnited States; or, rom an ascending portion o an orbit, above theSouthern Pacic and across South America.

On these re-entries, the orbiter may parallel the northeastFlorida coast aer cutting across Georgia, or it will y over theFlorida Everglades and up the southeast coast o the state.

Te sonic boom as the orbiter slices through the atmosphereat velocities greater than the speed o sound may be heard across thewidth o Florida, dependin g on the ight path.

Te sonic boom is really two distinct claps that occur a ractiono a second apart, and are audible to the human ear. It is the noiseproduced by an aircra ying at supersonic speeds. Te vehicle, ineect, compresses the air in ront o the nose and the wing, creatingshock waves that spread away rom the aircra.

Although the boom may rattle some windows, it has little or noeect on humans, wildlie or property. At peak intensity, the boomis about as loud as an automobile backring on the next block or theclap o thunder rom a lightning stri ke about a hal mile (0.8 k ilome-ter) away. Te pressure wave o the boom at its maximum intensity isequivalent to about hal the orce exerted on a persons ears when thedoor o a ull-sized car is slammed with the windows shut.

Te boom should be barely audible as the orbiter crosses thewestern par t o the state. It wi ll get louder as the orbiter drops inaltitude, although or much o Central Florida it may be at a levelthat goes unnoticed by persons indoors.

Te orbiter reaches subsonic speeds as it ies over the IndianRiver beore circling to the north or to the south or a nal land-ing approach.

Shuttle Landing Facility

KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), rst opened orights in 1976, was specially designed or returning space shuttleorbiters. Te SLF is located approximately three miles (4.8kilometers) northwest o the huge Vehicle Assembly Building,with the launch pads only a n additional t hree to our mile s (4.8 to6.4 kilometers) to the east. Te runway is longer and wider thanthose ound in most commercial airports, yet comparable in sizeto runways designed or research and development acilities.

Te paved runway is 15,000 eet (4,572 meters) long, with a

1,000-oot (304.8-meter) overrun on each end. Te width is aboutthe length o a ootball eld, 300 eet (91.4 meters), with 50-oot(15.2-meter) asphalt shoulders on each side. Te KSC concreterunway is 16 inches (40.6 centimeters) thick in the center, and 15inches (38.1 centimeters) thick on the sides. Te landing strip isnot perectly at; it has a slope o 24 inches (61 centimeters) romthe center line to the edge to acilitate drainage.

Te Shuttle Landing Facility includes a 550-oot by 490-oot(167.6-meter by 149.3-meter) parking apron, or ra mp, on thesoutheastern end o the runway. On the northeast corner o the



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This map shows the ascending portion o a high-

inclination orbit o 51.6 degrees with the easternmost and

westernmost ground tracks or approach to KSC.

This map shows the descending portion o a high-

inclination orbit o 51.6 degrees with the easternmost

and westernmost ground tracks or approach to KSC.

ramp is the mate/demate device (MDD). Te MDD is 150 eet (45.7

meters) long, 93 eet (28.3 meters) wide and 105 eet (32 meters) high.It can li up to 230,000 pounds (104,328 kilograms).

Although a single la nding st rip, it is considered two r unways,depending on the approach: rom either the northwest on Runway15 or rom the southeast on Runway 33.

In comparison, Orlando International Airports longest runwayis 12,004 eet (3,659 meters) long and 200 eet (61 meters) wide. TeJohn F. Kennedy International A irport i n New York has a ru nwaynearly as long, 14,572 eet (4,441.5 meters), but much narrower at150 eet (45.7 meters). OHare International Airport in Chicago hasa runway 13,000 eet (3,962.4 meters) long and 200 eet (61 meters)

wide; and Miami Intern ational Airports longest ru nway is 13,002eet (3,963 meters) long by 150 eet (45.7 meters) wide.In contrast, the prime alternate orbiter landing site, Edwards

Air Force Base in Ca liornia, has severa l dry lake bed runways and

one hard surace runway on which an orbiter can land. Te longeststrip, part o the 44-square-mile (114-square-kilometer) Rogers DryLake, is 7.5 statute miles (12.1 kilometers) long. Concrete runways aregenerally preerred or night landings so dust rom the lake bed doesnot obscure the lighting.

About the size o a DC-9 jetli ner, a space shuttle orbiter doesnot require such a large runway or landing. However, EAFB oersan extra saety margin because o its choice and size o landing strips.

Te orbiter diers in at least one major aspect rom conven-tional aircra: it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so itshigh-speed glide must be perectly executed the rst time there is

no go-around capability. Te orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour.In the case o a landing orbiter, Foreign Object Debris (FOD)

becomes a potential hazard. Any material that does not belong onor over the surace o the runway environment is considered FOD.Workers check the runway or FOD up to about 15 minutes prior tolanding.

Birds also are a hazard to the orbiter, as well as to other aircra.Tis airborne FOD could damage the orbiters delicate outer skino thermal protection system materials. Birds are o special concernat KSC because most o the Center is a national wildlie reuge thatprovides a home to more than 330 native and migratory species o

birds. SLF employees use special pyrotechnic and noise-makingdevices, as well as selective grass cutting, to discourage birds aroundthe runway.

When an orbiter lands any where other than KSC, it must beerried back to Kennedy Space Center riding piggyback-style atopthe Shuttle Carrier Aircra , landin g at the SLF. Te mate/dematedevice at the SLF enables the orbiter to be lied o the Shuttle Car-rier Aircra and placed on the runway.

Whether an orbiter la nds here on its own or atop the ShuttleCarrier Aircra, it is then towed by a diesel-powered tractor to

This map shows the ground track o a typical low-

inclination orbit.



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processing acilities via a two-mile (3.2-kilometer) tow-way rom theShuttle Landing Facility.

Adjacent to the MDD is the Landing Aid s Control Buildi ng,which houses equipment and the personnel who operate the Shutt leLanding Facility on a da ily basis. Other aircra that use the SLFinclude the astronauts -38 trainers; the Shuttle raining Aircra NASAs ying orbiter simulators militar y and civil ian cargo, and

helicopters.South o the mideld point east o the runway are the control

tower, the orbiter recoveryconvoy staging area or the recoveryteam, and a re station. Te control tower provides positive controlo all local ights and g round trafc, including support aircra orShuttle launches and landings; Department o Deense and NASAhelicopters or security, medical evacuation and rescue; and NASAweather asse ssment aircra .

Aer a landing, the orbiter recovery convoy stagi ng area ca nhold 20 to 30 specially designed vehicles or units to sae the orbiter,assist in crew departure and tow the vehicle to processing acilities.Responsibility or the orbiter is usually handed rom Johnson Space

Center in Houston to Kennedy Space Center aer the orbiters cool-down and crew departure, usually withi n an hour aer touchdown.

Press and guest viewing areas are on a mound east o the convoyarea. Te entrance is rom Sharkey Road.

Landing AidsAn array o visual a ids as wel l as sophist icated guidance equip-

ment at the Shuttle Landing Facility help guide the orbiter to a saelanding.

Te Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) system on theground provides range and bearing measurements to the orbiterwhen the vehicle is at a n altitude o up to 145,000 eet (44,196meters).

TeMicrowave Scanning Beam Landing System (MS-BLS) provides more precise guidance signals on slant range,azimuth and elevation when the orbiter gets closer up to 18,000to 20,000 eet (5,486 to 6,096 meters). Both ACAN and MSBLSare automatic systems that update the orbiters onboard navigation

systems.Te MSBLS also provides an autoland capability

that can electronically acquire and gu ide the orbiter toa completely hands o landing. So ar, shuttle missioncommanders have taken control o the orbiter or allnal approach and landing maneuvers during subsonicight, usually about 22 miles (35 kilometers) rom thetouchdown point.

Te initial landing approach at a glide slope o 20degrees is more than six times steeper than the 3 -degreeslope o a typical commercial jet airliner as it approacheslanding. wo series o lights help pilots determine thecorrect approach.

Te Precision Approach Path Indicator(PAPI) lights are an electronic visual system thatshows pilots i they are on the correct outer glide slope.PAPI lights are used at airports all over the world, butthese have been modied or the unique congura-tion o the orbiter. A set o PAPI lights are at 7,500 eet(2,286 meters) and another at 6,500 eet (1,981 meters)to delineate an outer glide slope o between 18 and 20degrees.

TeBall-Bar Light System is a visual reerence

to provide inner glide slope inormation. Te bar lightsare 24 red lamps in horizontal sets o our each. Tey are2,200 eet (671 meters) rom the runway threshold, and300 eet (91 meters) rom the rst nominal touchdownpoint. Five hundred eet (152 meters) closer to therunway threshold are three white lights t he ball ata higher elevation.

I the orbiter is above the glide slope o 1.5 degrees,the white PAPI lights will appear to be below the baro red lights. I the vehicle is below the glide slope, theApproach and Landing Runways 15 and 33 at theShuttle Landing Facility



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white lights wi ll appear to be above the red lights. I t he red and whitelights are superimposed, the orbiter is on the correct glide slope.

Lighted distance markers show the crew the distance remain-ing to the end o the runway during landing and rollout. Just beoretouchdown, a are or a pull-up maneuver brings the orbiter into itsnal landing conguration. ouchdown nominally is 2 ,500 to 2,700eet (762 to 823 meters) beyond the runway threshold.

For night lights, the SLF has 16 powerul xenon lights, each owhich produces up to 1 bill ion candlepower (1 billion candela). Flat-bed trailers hold eight lights, in two groups o our, at each end o therunway. o avoid blinding the crew, workers only turn on the lights atthe end o the runway that will be behind the orbiter at landing.

Orbiter Drag Chutes

Aer touchdown, the orbiter begins its rol lout with the t womain landing gears in contact with t he runway. Rudder control isused primarily to maintain a lignment. As the speed decreases toabout 185 knots or 185 nautical miles per hour (343 kilometers per

hour), the nose o the orbiter begins to pitch down. At this time, thered, white and blue 40-oot-diameter (12.2-meter-diameter) dragparachute is extended with the aid o a mortar-deployed, 9-oot-di-ameter (2.7-meter-diameter) pilot chute.

At around 160 knots or 160 nautical m iles per hour (296 kilo-meters per hour), the nose gear tires make contact with the runway,and the chute disrees and becomes ully inated, thus creating adrag orce to rapidly slow down the orbiter while providing a saetymargin during the rollout.

Once the nose gear is down, steering with the nose wheelbecomes the primary control system or alignment down the rest othe runway. At approximately 30 knots or 30 nautical miles per hour

(56 kilometers per hour), the chute has completed its unction anddisconnects rom the orbiter, which rolls to a stop using its brakes.

Weather Constraints

Weather plays a major role in determi ning whether an end-o-mission landing is at KSC or at Edwards Air Force Base, or ispostponed until a later orbit.

Te weather constraints below apply to KSC:

At the time o the deorbit burn go/no-go decision, whichoccurs approximately 90 minutes prior to landing, observed cloudcover below 8,000 eet (2438 meters) should not exceed 25 percentcoverage and must be orecast not to exceed 50 percent at landingtime.

Also, observed visibility at deorbit burn and the orecastvisibil ity or landing ti me must be 5 statute mi les (8043 meters) orgreater.

Crosswinds must not be greater than 15 knots or 15 nauti-cal miles per hour (17 statute miles/28 kilometers per hour) i it isa daytime landing, and 12 knots or 12 nautical miles per hour (14

statute miles/22 kilometers per hour) i it is a nighttime landing. Inmore restrictive landings because o weight or mission duration,or example crosswinds must not exceed 12 knots or 12 nauticalmiles per hour (14 statute miles/22 kilometers per hour).

Tunderstorms withi n 30 nautical miles (34.5 statutemiles/56 kilometers) and/or rain within 30 nautical miles (34.5statute miles/56 kilometers) also are landing constraints.

Wind direction usually will be the key actor in determiningthe nal approach to the runway. Te sun angle, i it is in the pilotseld o view, is also considered. Under normal circumstances, theorbiter will land i nto the wind. I the wind direction is rom thesouth, the nal approach will be rom the north; i the wind directionis rom the north, the orbiter will approach rom the south.

Pre-landing weather orecasts are issued by the SpaceightMeteorology Group at Johnson Space Center. Te group is part othe National Weather Service and works closely in coordinating itsorecasts with Range Weather Operations at Cape Canaveral AirForce Station (CCAFS). Weather instrumentation at KSC and at

the adjacent CCAFS provides some o the data that the SpaceightMeteorology Group uses in prepar ing its la nding oreca st. Weatherconditions also are evaluated by NASA astronauts piloting recon-naissance aircra along the orbiters landing approach beore theorbiter is committed to re-entry.

Post-Landing Operations

Althoug h on call during a n entire mission in case o an ea rlier-than-scheduled landing, the orbiter convoy normally begins recoveryoperations in earnest about two hours beore the orbiter is scheduledto land.

Te convoy consists o about 25 specially designed vehicles orunits and a team o about 150 trained personnel who assist the crewin leaving the orbiter, and who sae the orbiter, prepare it or towingand tow the vehicle to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Te teamthat recovers the orbiter is primarily composed o KSC personnel,whether the land ing ta kes place at KSC, at Edwards A FB in Calior-nia, or elsewhere.

Te rst staging position o the convoy aer landing is 1,250eet (381 meters) rom the orbiter. Saety assessment teams dressedin protective attire and w ith breathing apparatus use detectors toobtain vapor level readings around the orbiter and to test or possibleexplosive or toxic gases such as hydrogen, hydrazine , monomethyl-

hydrazine, nitrogen tetroxide or ammonia.Once the orward and a saety assessment teams successully

complete their vapor readings, Purge and Coolant Umbilical AccessVehicles are moved into position behind the orbiter to get accessto the umbilical areas. Te ground halves o the onboard hydrogendetection sample lines are connected to determine the hydrogenconcentration.

I no hydrogen is present, convoy operations continue. I hydro-gen is detected, the crew is evacuated immediately, convoy personnel



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Space Shuttle Endeavours drag chute slows down the orbiter as it lands on runway 33 at the SLF.

are cleared rom the area, and an emergency power-down o theorbiter is conducted. Tankully, this condition has never happenedaerlanding.

Aer the ca rrier plates or the hydrogen and oxygen umbil icalsare installed, coolant and purge air begins owing through the u m-bilical lines. Pu rge air provides cool and humidied air conditioningto the payload bay and other cavities to remove any residual explosiveor toxic umes.

Te purge o the vehicle normally occurs within approximately45 to 60 minutes aer the orbiter comes to a ull stop. Coolingtranser to ground services occurs at about the same ti me, allowingonboard cooling to be shut down.

When it is determined that the are a in and around the orbiter issae, the crew prepares or departure rom the orbiter. Te crew hatch

access vehicle can move to the hatch side o the orbiter and a whiteroom can be mated to the orbiter hatch. Te hatch is opened and aphysician perorms a brie preliminary medical examination o thecrew members beore they leave the vehicle. Crew egress generallyoccurs within an hour aer landing.

Normally astronauts can egress rom the orbiter more quicklyand more comortably by transerring rom the white room directlyinto a crew transport vehicle (CV), a modied people mover usedat airports. Crew members cannot be seen as they pass through acurtained ramp to t he CV.

Te commander, and sometimes other crew members, usuallywil l perorm a post-ig ht walk a round the orbiter. Final ly, the crewdeparts in the CV.

It is only aer the crew has le the orbiter and the orbiterground cooling has been established that Johnson Space Centerhands over responsibility o the vehicle to KSC.

Te ight crew is replaced aboard the orbiter by exchange sup-port personnel who prepare the orbiter or ground tow operations,install s witch guards and remove data packages rom any onboardexperiments.

Aer a tota l saety downgrade, vehicle ground personnel ma kenumerous preparations or the towing operation, including install-ing landing gear lock pins, disconnecting the nose landing geardrag link, positioning the towing vehicle in ront o the orbiter andconnecting the tow bar. owing normally begins within our hours

aer landing a nd is completed within six hours,

unless removal otime-sensitive experiments is needed on the runway.In addition to convoy operations on the runway, a KSC engi-

neering test team monitors data rom the orbiter rom a station inone o the Launch Control Centers ring rooms. Aer the orbiterhand-over to KSC, this team is enabled to issue commands to theorbiter to congure specic orbiter systems or the tow to one othree bays o the Orbiter Processing Facilit y. In the OPF, the processowbeginsto ready the vehicle or its next ight.



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As Space Shuttle Endeavour lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility, concluding mission STS-113, the landing convoy in the

oreground is ready to approach and sae the vehicle ater it comes to a ull stop.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

www.nasa.gov

FS-2006-08-026-KSC (Rev. 2007) NASA Facts

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Space Shuttle Orbiter Landing