Shuttle Takes Scenic Route to Landing

Nov. 7, 2007 — -- Millions of people along Discovery's route Wednesday may be able to get a glimpse of the shuttle as it streaks home to the Kennedy Space Center.

The shuttle will cross over North America at the west coast of British Columbia near Vancouver.

It will cross over Montana; the northwest corner of Wyoming; near Rapid City, South Dakota; central Nebraska; Topeka, Kans.; the southwest corner of Missouri; northeast Arkansas; Memphis, Tenn.; the northeast corner of Mississippi; Birmingham, Ala.; and Columbus, Ga; before crossing the northern border of Florida.

Who will see it and hear it? Landing Flight Director Brian Lunney says people living in Nebraska and southeast from that track have a good chance of seeing it if weather permits. Discovery will be at about 200,00 feet altitude, going Mach 20. Look for an orange streak with a white tail.

Even if it can't be seen, if people are patient and wait two minutes, they will hear a double sonic boom.

It's been a long time since a space shuttle flew over the mainland of the United States when it landed.

The last one to try that was the Space Shuttle Columbia. It fell apart in 2003 as it crossed the Western United States for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

The analysis by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board showed the breakup began when Columbia slowed from mach 20 to 18 as it crossed California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, scattering debris in its path. Most of the debris fell in Texas, and remarkably, no one on the ground was injured. After Columbia, NASA had second thoughts about flying a shuttle over land again.

But the Discovery mission, designated STS-120, isn't the same situation. Since Columbia, NASA has learned how to detect damage to a space shuttle. It goes to great lengths to inspect the orbiter after launch, and again before it lands. The Mission Management Team has given Discovery preliminary clearance for a Wednesday landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

Weather permitting, Discovery will fire its engines to de-orbit around noon, Eastern Standard Time, Wednesday. Landing would happen an hour later, at 1:02 p.m. EST.

The orbiter will come across southwestern Canada toward the United States, flying southeast over Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into Florida.

Will the shuttle be visible as it flies over the country? It's hard to say, because it will be landing in daylight. But millions of people will be able to hear the double sonic boom along the shuttle's path.

Why is Discovery landing on this track, called a descending node? Space Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said it is very simple.

"Landing in daylight is a safer and easier task than landing in the dark. The commander of this flight has requested a daylight landing, with alittle sleep shifting. It is an easy thing to do for us, and the crew is well rested."

The odds of injury from falling debris from a shuttle, said Hale, are no greater than the odds of being involved in a car wreck.