Looking at Edwards AFB in Google Earth...

[UNCjigga]

Holy crap, that is one LONG runway! What's with the stuff drawn/written into the dirt? Is that where they are planning to build new runways? Is that stuff really written out on the dirt? Looks like God took a pencil and started drawing things on the earth!

If you wanna check this out yourself, easy way to find it is to put zip code '93524' into the 'Fly to' box in Google Earth.

 

[Amused]

The stuff "drawn into the earth" are actual runways. The longest being where the spaceshuttle lands on the dry lakebed.

 

[UNCjigga]

Wow, totally awesome! The space shuttle lands in a penciled-in runway on a lakebed!!

 

[KK]

I dont recall hearing that the shuttle lands on those dry lakebed runways.

 

[compuwiz1]

you're right, it IS totally awsome. And to think, the U.S. Gov. has way more stuff that they haven't even shown us yet....like area 51 stuff X10!

 

[Chaotic42]

If you want to see something cool, look at the north-eastern part of Qatar. Huge oil refinery and stuff up there.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: KK
I dont recall hearing that the shuttle lands on those dry lakebed runways.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/edwards.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_AFB,_California

I've watched shuttles land on that lakebed. Including some of the first shuttle missions.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: KK
I dont recall hearing that the shuttle lands on those dry lakebed runways.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/edwards.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_AFB,_California

I've watched shuttles land on that lakebed. Including some of the first shuttle missions.

That's neat. Do they still do that? Was reading something mentioning that on some test flights they did one landing on a 15000 foot concrete runway.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: KK

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: KK
I dont recall hearing that the shuttle lands on those dry lakebed runways.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/edwards.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_AFB,_California

I've watched shuttles land on that lakebed. Including some of the first shuttle missions.

That's neat. Do they still do that? Was reading something mentioning that on some test flights they did one landing on a 15000 foot concrete runway.

Edwards is now the secondary landing site. It costs millions to transport the shuttle to Florida. So, obviously they prefer to land it in Florida if weather permits. I don't know if they use the lake bed, or paved runway now-a-days when they do land at Edwards, but all the Edwards landings I saw in the 80s used the lakebed.