Space Shuttle Approach Path

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

So the space shuttle is landing currently, and this stuff is really fascinating to me. Being in Alaska, It's quite unlikely I'll ever see the shuttle operate in person but I follow it from here as best I can.

I took a screenshot of my Flight Following software, showing the TFR (Temporary FLight Restriction) for the shuttle's approach and landing. It's quite large! This is the shuttle's approach path. I find it pretty humbling to think of just what the shuttles are capable of... considering it blocks out a 10,000 mile strip of airspace, from the surface to altitude unlimited. All the blue dots on the map are airplanes currently in the air in the U.S. air traffic control system.

Anyway just wanted to share some obscure shuttle trivia in real-time (or a few minutes beyond, but whatever).

Shuttle Path

 

[Chunkee]

flying over the hurricane?

 

[illusion88]

Arm it with bombs and hit Cuba before they rise up!

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
flying over the hurricane?

It will still be quite high even when it goes over mexico. Well above the weather.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Can you give us a screenshot at a higher resolution?

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Can you give us a screenshot at a higher resolution?

:thumbsup:

 

[FreshCrabLegs]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Can you give us a screenshot at a higher resolution?

Third'deded. =)

BTW, are the green dots actual position of planes (both commercial and private)?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
flying over the hurricane?

Like 100,000+ feet over the hurricane. They should have a nice view but a smooth ride.

The SS lands like a brick though. This isn't like any commercial airliner. The glideslope ratio is 1:1. :Q

 

[ognabor]

sorta relevant... i was talking with one of my friends about an hour ago... she works for lockheed and she was like "yeah, the shuttle's about to land, if they blow up, it's our fault"

gotta love rocket scientist friends. (she's marrying another one of my friends, who is also a rocket scientist.)

 

[UNCjigga]

What are the two different paths for (the thin purple one and the thick purple one) and what's the gap inbetween the two paths? Sorry, its hard for me to get excited about a random purple region on a map without knowing how to read it!

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: ognabor
sorta relevant... i was talking with one of my friends about an hour ago... she works for lockheed and she was like "yeah, the shuttle's about to land, if they blow up, it's our fault"

gotta love rocket scientist friends. (she's marrying another one of my friends, who is also a rocket scientist.)

lol. my calc teacher in college was a retired nasa rocket scientist. we were in class the day that mars probe smashed into the surface of mars, and he laughed and said "i know those guys, they forgot to convert their calcs" and made fun of them. later on, the news reported that there wa a conversion error in their math that was to blame, i cracked up.

cool info on the SS, it interests me, but i know next to nothing about it.