Atlantis Rests at Wheel Stop

[MO4B]

pointdexter hahahahah

[olbrajt]

pełen podziw dla astronautów za te wszystkie lądowania! mają tylko jedno podejście, nie mają silników i tym samym najmniejszy błąd może skończyć się tragicznie!

[sondre12321]

nasa owns!

[imarchello]

earths atmosphere doesnt blocks objects, it only burns them up due their high speed

[JCwarfighter]

You can bounce off of the atmosphere if you are not at the right angle.

[imarchello]

true...

[InfiniteSaviour49]

if i come at a slow speed i woldn't got burn

[trout951]

actually anything with wings can glide to a degree. a wing is just an aerofoil that produces lift! As long as the speed is great enough to enure a substantial amout of air is passing over the foil and the fuselage is at least a little aerodyniamic, than the the wing will produce enough lift to keep the aircraft in the air. wings are not just surface area that stop the plane from falling. when air passes over the wing because of its special concavity) it creates a pressure differencial ie. lift!

[dumbpolak99]

i wonder how many miles they got when they get decommissioned

[ervin2]

It's hard to believe that the thing came all the way from space, and just landed like a plane. Pretty amazing.

[Iamyurdaddy]

Sounds like they have a load of birds on the shuttle.

[JudaiYuki09]

Alicia Keys Sucks!

[ikefrequent]

Looking at the video, it appears that according to the head's up display, the decent is at around 300 knots and dropping to 280 or less. I would guess that touch down speed after the flare to be around 180-200 knots, but I'm just guessing. It's a good question...

[Shazee083]

never guess in science if you dont know then dont say it

[ikefrequent]

It is a brick with wings. That's why the approach is so steep and the flare is at the very last moment at such a strong positive angle.

[jcooper43]

It is a flying brick. All the astronaut pilots will tell you so. Every maneuver is executed by a computer. Remember the part in Space Cowboys when they say it's impossible for a human to pilot a shuttle back in.....they're not far from the truth. Boy I bet my parents are proud they spent all that money on me at Space Camp.

[wsbigboi09]

i wonder how fast these things are goin when they first touch down on the runway

[matthew798]

shuttle is a cessna with no engine.... Ive heard thats how it handles...

[rootdance]

I'm suddenly thinking I'd be a great addition to a science team in outer space. I'm ready for the next trip to study body and the psyche. bodyworker on board.

[middlemaniac]

how does this thing fly? It is like a brick with tiny wings on it.....

[wovelscotch]

I'm suprised these things can fly, it looks like they have the aerodynamic proporties of a brick

[bout435]

im suprised their engines are still working wen they were in space

[bull912000]

They don't. The sound you hear are the tracker planes. The shuttle is just a glider.

[bout435]

how does probably 1 ton ship glide ???? hah

[Olozim]

uhm... a little more than a ton bud, try about 2,200 TONS. And it's simple, if the angle of attack is great enough and the speed great enough anything with surface area can glide.

[bout435]

well if i put wings on a rock will it glide if i release it?

[Olozim]

if it's going fast enough and has a decent enough angle of attack, yes. But not if you just "release it" like dropping it from a building, there is no chance to build up speed.

[bout435]

hehe you should have told me that before i did it

[rudeboyzero]

Maximum landing weight of the Shuttle is about 104 metric tonnes.

So usually it's a little lighter when landing.

Take-off weight of the entire stack (shuttle, boosters and fuel tank) is in the 2000 metric tonnes range.

Compare it to a stone skipping on the water. If you just drop it, it sinks.

But with enough speed it "glides" on the water surface.

The same applies to the Shuttle or even a Jumbo Jet. A 747 glides surprisingly well.

[boarderX9]

lol they made a concrete wing that flew so this could definatley do it

[MarvinSanti]

It's just a physic's principle, as long as the preassure underneath an obhect is greater than the pressure over it, it will glide, the wings are responsible for maintaining that pressure. Obviously you need the propper speed depending on the wight of the object.

[Postie1]

the entire body of the shuttle is aerodynamic and creates some lift.

[Orionsaint]

whoa kinda looks like when luke lands on dagobah in empire

[1themann1]

Yes USA is Number One first. Yes the shuttle is load when it comes home. It has garbage and what not from the center and what they use up there and wrapping from the stuff they put on the center.

[hunke123]

i am surprised that the space shuttle is loud when it comes down

[kimmern123]

What you're hearing is the Shuttle Training Aircraft that's flying above the shuttle after following it in for landing. The shuttle itself doesn't make any noise.

[LeonaStemberger]

Welcome back =)

[ChicosAddict]

Welcome home, guys!! I've been watching you every day on NASAtv since launch... I hope you'll post some of your personal videos here from the mission.

Great job NASA!!

[kurwinsky]

Congrats! The Fat-Beauty is back!

[oomblikkies]

Always impressive. How can they (so called experts and I believe NASA too) say that the shuttle is/was a failed design?

[Jnagwet]

Excellent landing to conclude an excellent mission. Welcome home Atlantis & Crew.

[antgarcia62]

yay, it's home safe! Hope there IS video of the rocket hitting the satelite.

[Jeffgoalie]

a rocket hitting a satelite?

[antgarcia62]

yeah, there's this satelite up there that's gonna crash land to Earth with some toxic fuel. They gotta shoot it down or some people are screwed.

[Jeffgoalie]

oh ok lol

[antgarcia62]

yeah. The lunar eclipse took a while, but it was all worth it. It looks so different from our moon.

[David6037]

WELCOME HOME ATLANTIS!

[gangreneday]

Will there be video of the rocket hitting the sattelite?

[BootchMagoo]

Cool now we can blow up the satellite! =0