sjb (06/26/82)
Dakar, Senegal, replaces Rota, Spain, as the Columbia's primary abort site if something goes wrong after launch and it's too late to return to KSC. The change is due to the shuttle's tighter inclination over the past three flights. It will travel to a maximum of 28 degrees north and south of the equator compared to 38 degrees on previous flights. Edwards Air Force base will be used if the shuttle is force to make an emergency landing after it reaches space. EAFB is also the primary landing site for 4 July's scheduled landing.
ks (06/29/82)
#R:alice:-71300:pur-ee:3800001:000:354 pur-ee!ks Jun 27 15:23:00 1982 Is the shuttle's flight inclination the reason for the change, or is it the security? I was told several months ago that the DoD package required extra security, thus the emergency landing sites had to be at fully defended U.S. bases. This came from a reliable source (an astronaut). Any comments? Am I missing some important detail? Kirk Smith
sjb (06/29/82)
Could well be. All the AP story said was that it was for the inclination. No mentioned was made of the DoD package.
jj (06/29/82)
Out of curiousity, what happens when the shuttle starts to land with wet felt, the water boils, and the tiles all come off? Could it be that this is the reason for making sure that the tiles are dry? Considering the heat that is generated during re-entry, it seems to me that any moisture left in the tiles would boil, very rapidly in fact, and and blow the tiles off the ship. I don't like the sound of that.