June 25, 2007

Shuttle Lands at Edwards

I was lucky enough on Friday to watch the shuttle Atlantis land at Edwards.

Minutes before landing I retrieved a co-workers family from the Edwards gate.

We both agreed that Shuttle landings at Edwards will get rare as the vehicle nears retirement. So we wanted to get their kids out to watch the landing.

After racing back to main base, we watched the landing from the front of a large hanger. The Atlantis arrived over the field with it's signature double sonic boom.

Then the spacecraft arrived in a steep approach towards Runway 22, flairing out seconds before touchdown.

About as I was leaving work, the shuttle convoy was proceeding down the Edwards flightline towards the NASA Dryden Facility.

Its not good for the taxpayer when the shuttle lands at Edwards. It costs over $2 million to carry the vehicle on a 747 back to Kennedy Space Center.

That said I sure like watching it come into Edwards.

Before the landing, my coworker and I discussed how the current Orion effort seems like a major step backwards when compared with the Shuttle.

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