Deorbit completed, landing in 60 minutes

Today's landing ground tracks.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

First opportunity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/1...SC238_long.gif

"Craig Fink" wrote in message
...
Today's landing ground tracks.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

First opportunity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/1...SC238_long.gif

Safe landing. It will be interesting to see how the three suspect RCC
panels fared.

Jeff
--
"When transportation is cheap, frequent, reliable, and flexible,
everything else becomes easier."
- Jon Goff

Jeff Findley beweerde :
"Craig Fink" wrote in message
...
Today's landing ground tracks.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

First opportunity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/1...SC238_long.gif

Safe landing. It will be interesting to see how the three suspect RCC panels
fared.

Jeff

The landing was near perfect, allthough I think I saw the thouchdown
was pretty rough. It looked as if Discovery 'dropped' in the runway
from about 1-2 meters high... Anyone saw the same?

André

André, PE1PQX writes:

Jeff Findley beweerde :
"Craig Fink" wrote in message
...
Today's landing ground tracks.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

First opportunity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/1...SC238_long.gif

Safe landing. It will be interesting to see how the three suspect
RCC panels fared.

Jeff

The landing was near perfect, allthough I think I saw the thouchdown
was pretty rough. It looked as if Discovery 'dropped' in the runway
from about 1-2 meters high... Anyone saw the same?

Yeah, it appeared a bit more abrupt than usual and more tiresmoke than
usual. But if I remember the wx calls correctly, they were dealing
with a head wind that was gusting on em, though, and maybe it
just...got ungusty in a hurry and flop came teh brick. :-)

Any way ya slice, it, it's friggin amazing they can get that brick
safely on the ground without exploding the tires all over creation. I
can't imagine having to fly a "glider" with that profile and weight.

Welcome home STS-120 -- couldn't be more proud of ya.

--
Todd H.
http://toddh.net/

"Todd H." wrote in message ...
André, PE1PQX writes:

Jeff Findley beweerde :
"Craig Fink" wrote in message
...
Today's landing ground tracks.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

First opportunity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/1...SC238_long.gif

Safe landing. It will be interesting to see how the three suspect
RCC panels fared.

Jeff

The landing was near perfect, allthough I think I saw the thouchdown
was pretty rough. It looked as if Discovery 'dropped' in the runway
from about 1-2 meters high... Anyone saw the same?

Yeah, it appeared a bit more abrupt than usual and more tiresmoke than
usual. But if I remember the wx calls correctly, they were dealing
with a head wind that was gusting on em, though, and maybe it
just...got ungusty in a hurry and flop came teh brick. :-)

Any way ya slice, it, it's friggin amazing they can get that brick
safely on the ground without exploding the tires all over creation. I
can't imagine having to fly a "glider" with that profile and weight.

Welcome home STS-120 -- couldn't be more proud of ya.

Yes, probably just a drop in the headwind during the hold-off.

Looked pretty good to me

Het is zò dat MichaelJP formuleerde :
"Todd H." wrote in message ...
André, PE1PQX writes:

Jeff Findley beweerde :
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

The landing was near perfect, allthough I think I saw the thouchdown
was pretty rough. It looked as if Discovery 'dropped' in the runway
from about 1-2 meters high... Anyone saw the same?

Yeah, it appeared a bit more abrupt than usual and more tiresmoke than
usual. But if I remember the wx calls correctly, they were dealing
with a head wind that was gusting on em, though, and maybe it
just...got ungusty in a hurry and flop came teh brick. :-)

Any way ya slice, it, it's friggin amazing they can get that brick
safely on the ground without exploding the tires all over creation. I
can't imagine having to fly a "glider" with that profile and weight.

Welcome home STS-120 -- couldn't be more proud of ya.

Yes, probably just a drop in the headwind during the hold-off.

Looked pretty good to me

I think your'e right, a drop in headwind could cause this 'dropping on
the runway' (I'm not an aeronautical engineer or an engineer at all)
but I'd like to know what the forces are the landing gears had to
endure during this landing, and if there is any structural damage on
the gear at all.

André

PS.: I agree: Welcome home STS-120 from a job well done!

André, PE1PQX writes:

Het is zò dat MichaelJP formuleerde :
"Todd H." wrote in message ...
André, PE1PQX writes:

Jeff Findley beweerde :
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...s/landing.html

The landing was near perfect, allthough I think I saw the thouchdown
was pretty rough. It looked as if Discovery 'dropped' in the runway
from about 1-2 meters high... Anyone saw the same?

Yeah, it appeared a bit more abrupt than usual and more tiresmoke than
usual. But if I remember the wx calls correctly, they were dealing
with a head wind that was gusting on em, though, and maybe it
just...got ungusty in a hurry and flop came teh brick. :-)

Any way ya slice, it, it's friggin amazing they can get that brick
safely on the ground without exploding the tires all over creation. I
can't imagine having to fly a "glider" with that profile and weight.

Welcome home STS-120 -- couldn't be more proud of ya.

Yes, probably just a drop in the headwind during the hold-off.

Looked pretty good to me

I think your'e right, a drop in headwind could cause this 'dropping on
the runway' (I'm not an aeronautical engineer or an engineer at all)
but I'd like to know what the forces are the landing gears had to
endure during this landing, and if there is any structural damage on
the gear at all.

André

PS.: I agree: Welcome home STS-120 from a job well done!

I got another look at landing videos, and the view from behind the
craft as it lands does show the elevons (assuming that's the right
name for the control surface on the wings) get controlled downward
just a second before the plop. That may have been a reaction to some
headwind change, still. She did stick the landing, by god. :-)

As I recall the prior shuttle landing I saw was a lot less pretty--I'm
not sure the wheels got down at the same time and there was almost a
bounce.

Very exciting mission, and glad to hear the vehicle was so clean.
Woot!

--
Todd H.
http://toddh.net/