Endeavour lands at KSC for STS-127 (HD)

[GmrWeb]

6:27 look at the size of that bird!

[sentaway01]

simply stunning what a rush to be on the shuttle whan it blasts off sign me up

[Manolara84]

can you fly the shuttle like an airplane ? i mean, it does have rockets on it right?

[spacevidcast]

@Manolara84 The three large engines on the rear of the shuttle can only be used during launch. They use propellant from the external tank (the big orange thing) during the ascent. they have two smaller rockets in the two "humps" on each side of the vertical stabilizer, but they are OMS or Orbital Maneuvering System engines. They make only a little thrust, and can't be used under 70,000 ft, otherwise they'd melt.

[Manolara84]

@spacevidcast  wow! so the shuttle is just a glider once its below 70k ft?! Neat stuff. Thanks.

[spacevidcast]

@Manolara84 Nope, the shuttle is a glider from over 160 miles up. The OMS engines just can't be used below 70k ft. They dump the OMS propellant during the descent, but it doesn't create any thrust then. The orbiter sometimes uses the OMS engines during ascent (above 70k ft) to give a little extra velocity to the craft. The OMS engines are also used for the deorbit burn though. That's at 160+ miles. Below 70k ft, they dump the prop overboard, as it's extra mass and toxic to humans at landing.

[akierrs2]

When a Space Shuttle lands, it is a glider

[rickvtr]

just watched the takeoff and this, unbelieveable!!

[jesser11]

Is Endeavour manned?

[JiSquirrell]

@jesser11 Yes. She has an entire crew. I think it's incredible the grace with which our space shuttles land. It's such a nice reminder of how advanced we have become as a race, and how fast we are moving. God knows what will have achieved in 30 years.

[spacevidcast]

@jesser11 Yep, every US space shuttle orbiter is manned. They aren't designed to fly unmanned. They technically can fly unmanned, but it involves literally tying a cable to the control inputs..it's not pretty, and ONLY for an emergency scenario. Even then, the odds of attempting to land it on a runway successfully are slim to none. The only reason to have it fly unmanned would be if it was damaged beyond hope of safely returning the crew to earth, and probably be guided to splash into an ocean.

[puncheex]

@spacevidcast: I note that the Russian shuttle, the Buran, actually completed one orbital flight and landing successfully under totally automatic control, the only flight the Buran made. It was later destroyed in a hangar collapse.

[ShumaCrazyMendy]

Why can't the space shuttle have a really big parachute and just settle down on a lawn?

[MCP53]

Another thought - that camera must have the ultimate paparazzi long lense ;-)

[MCP53]

Wow - excellent! My son has just completed his first few solo glider flights - Endeavour must be the ultimate glider.

[littlepyro]

Just like a brick.  :)

[whiternoise2]

Ultimate? Maybe. Best? Hell no!

[spacevidcast]

@MCP53 The orbiter descends at 10,000 ft/minute. Like littlepyro said, "just like a brick" heheh.

[puncheex]

@MCP53 The shuttle is a lifting body as much as the wings help, but it is not really very aerodynamic. As a glider it has it's moments, but the byword is "energy management", keep tagged right to the computed flight profile because there is no second chance if they don't make the first try. The last rockets it uses are before atmosphere, where attitude thrusters still work.

[Gregster138]

Great video! I heard the double sonic boom at 3:55 but what the heck is that cracking sound heard repeatedly before that? Almost sounds like a movie slate. I noticed it while watching live, as well.

[littlepyro]

Ambient microphone at the landing site being hit, more than likely. Probably wind and some grass/tree leaves hitting it. Not too sure, however. That'd be my guess.

[faosfx]

Damn, Endeavour looks really clean. Thats got to be the youngest shuttle in the fleet.

[thesmart358]

It is. OV-105 (Endeavour) was built from spares after the Challenger accident.

[rayman4449]

Great! Thanks for posting! NASA continues to make us proud!

[qwertygnf]

Well worth watching the whole 9 mins

I found it relaxing to watch  (just finished work)

That camera can see a long way!!!!

[TheMightyKinkle]

yeah the womans voice is relaxing

[shadowspork]

It doesn't need any. All it needs is the laws of physics. :)

[Vleesball]

VROOOOOOOOM !!!!!! no engine sound :'( ?

[spacevidcast]

No engines :)

[1971ojoalparche1971]

Its engines aren't running since it has no fuel left. It just glides to the runway all the way from reentry, and it only has one chance of doing it.

[TheMightyKinkle]

Jets fly next to it wo make sure its ok thats what you hear at 7:20 and 8:31, the weird noise from about 8:00 onwards is a helicopter i think

[spacevidcast]

@TheMightyKinkle T-38 Jets stopped chasing the shuttle orbiters back in 1984, the first time the orbiters landed at KSC. There have been WB-577's but those were not used after STS-116, and from a further distance (the WB-57's were to help check for debris problems after the Return To Flight [RTF] missions).

[spacevidcast]

@TheMightyKinkle The jet sound you hear though is the APU (auxiliary power unit) providing power for the power and hydraulic systems. The "chuff chuff" sound is also the APU. NASA's airborne security helicopters (not actually NASA's helo's) are UH-1's, and their 2 main rotor blades rotate at about 300 RPM's. You'd hear 12 distinct "wop-wop" sounds per second.

[TheMightyKinkle]

cool, thanks

[blueb0g]

@TheMightyKinkle The sound is partly from wingtip vorticies from Endeavour's wingtips

[ComedyHomeVideos]

@Vleesball shutttles are like giant heavy gliders when landing, no engines. if they were on well lets just say that they would need a REALLY long runway.