Raw Video: Shuttle Atlantis Returns Safely

[BloodTar]

Good riddens.  Over 30 years of space shuttle bullshit and not a single American that pays for the damn birds has ever got to buy a ticket to ride on one nor can anyone say what the hell benefit they ever got from the space shuttle. bye bye shuttle.... you won't be missed.

[sdfsdf666]

@BloodTar

Indeed, besides the average person doesn't even know what the hell they do on the shuttle, only the "enlightened" ones at NASA do. tHey could be experimenting on some sort of planet-wide mind control for all we know. Irregardless, space travel in general has done little for humanity.

[crusader810]

Note the engine sounds that are heard. They're not coming from the shuttle, those are the chase planes that follow it during landing...Just incase anyone was interested :P

[Vitaminnn07]

i know, that sounded like 10 years old girl question.

[Vitaminnn07]

i cannot imagine how do they rotate the shuttle on orbit, how to control it when should go off the orbit, by way of gyroscope or firepower jet?. how it enters the higher atmosphere layers, how do they cut that crazy velocity which is too high for being in atmosphere, or maybe they can brake before they reach the atmosphere ? thats so exciting. does anybody know where to read about that ?

[kerminator29]

@Vitaminnn07 Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS). The two small engines above the three large ones. There are smaller thrusters all over the orbiter for roll and pitch control.

[19501227]

Wonderful job Shuttle Crew and NASA

[manifestgtr]

what is all that noise...wind from gliding? stuff still on and running? whats going on with that

[skyyguyy]

Fighter chase-planes.

[mach25man]

weather plane flying next to it. The shuttle is very quiet.

[QuarterPounder4]

Wow, It looked pretty windy there. The space shuttle looked a little slated to the left as the wheels touched down, and the drag chute was blowing a bit.

[UrNotReallySorry]

try steering a plane and land parallel to the ground, much less a space shuttle.

[masterj345]

holy shit is this star wars? nope its the united states.

[whydoyoucare701]

holy shit is this star wars? nope its the united states lol :D :D :D :P

[EndeavourLaunch]

Using capsule's is the best idea for such re-entry, they are perfect aerodynamic wise.

[7olusegun]

Nay I aint agree with you; the international space station is in a high enough vacuum (similar to the vacuum of the moon). The intense heat friction occur when the space shuttle enters earth's atmosphere (as it's also slowed down) and it can withstand this frictional punishment. The duration and intensity of this intense friction is similar whether the space shuttle comes from the space station or farther,like the moon. All it takes is some modification for its moon landing.

[EndeavourLaunch]

Highly impossible, space shuttle wouldn't even make the first S-turn before disintegration, and would have to come in at the right millisecond in order to land at the Cape or Edwards.

[7olusegun]

Prior to man landing on the moon, many said it was highly impossible but alas with technology, this feat was achievable. With a better, modified or improved space shuttle design, this is very possible. Perhaps a space shuttle which can land and take off vertically from the lunar surface. A more robust space shuttle with prudent control of landing and entrying earth's atmosphere will not disintegrate. I know this is extremely possible or feasible.

[nakazatoGTR]

whats much better, a separate lander vehicle, which may be reusable, on board the new improved lunar mission space shuttle.

also, as long as shuttles have time to slow down to about mach 24.5, the exact reentry speed, either by using atmospheric braking, or rocket braking, the shuttle can survive shots at the moon.

[mach25man]

Itsall physics. The shuttle does not have the speed at launch to go to the moon.

[7olusegun]

I dont think it's nice for NASA to retire the space shuttles by 2010 and going back to past technologic pukes or vomitus (i.e. into using rockets instead). For this I am not impressed with NASA for this stupidity.

[EndeavourLaunch]

How so 7olu, I strongly support going back, NASA's been stuck in Low Earth orbit for 20 some odd years, its time to go back to the moon as were doing. And on to Mars.

[7olusegun]

Aint it possible redesigning the space shuttle (or adding some essential optionals to the current space shuttles) and launching to the moon (or mars)? I assume there is more space in the space shuttle than in the command modules of rockets.

[EndeavourLaunch]

The Space Shuttle's design wasn't made for such intense friction and heating during re-entry, any shuttle returning at that speed would cause the shuttle to disintegrate due to the aerodynamics of the shuttle.

[joachim2464]

how could the shuttle land on the moon. It is impossible. It would have to have the payload bay full of fuel and it also wood need hover rockets to touch down. And the shutte would also never survive re-entry.

[7olusegun]

Actually, if you read my previous comments, I said newer (and better) shuttle designs (taking into consideration all these forseeable problems) should be done. The 'tenous' vacuum at the level of the ISS and that of the moon are about the same. Heating due to earth's frictional atmospheric forces would be the same. It was once said it was impossible for man to reach the moon but this was disproved.

[Piercostanzo]

The sound of the engine is infernal! My God..

[martseger]

The engines aren't running while landing, shuttle is gliding down, the sound is the shuttle tearing the air..

[nortenero]

That isn't the engines, the sound is coming from the fighter jets that are flying around it.

[ohio5770]

They are on autopilot through re-entry to just before the heading alignment circle at the base of the runway then the commander takes over, then the pilot flies the shuttle briefly..then the commander actually lands the shuttle.

[nakazatoGTR]

poindexter? its sts-122!

[hannigan06]

it will be weird when they are done. I wonder whats next. I know NASA has the Aries rockets that will bring us back to the moon. It would be awesome if one day we could create a run way on the moon. Just start landing them like space shuttles.

We started with Five of them we are down to three lets pray the last two years at the best two years.

[nakazatoGTR]

yeah, like start landing like a man, says those x-15 guys.

maybe a shuttle equipped with aerospike main engines instead of the old ones, mounted on top of an ares4, no foam impacts, no srb leakage, no blow ups.

if they used the sat v like that, maybe both col and chall would never have been lost.

[nmantor]

thank goodness they are back safely.

[trogenus]

Do they land with autopilot?

[petaboil]

i agree any government could have shot down the planes, vey easily, maybe not an inside job but still it would have been a small price to pay but still even more people saved

[towser0404]

Very clever piece of kit the shuttle, will be a shame when they retire the fleet in 2010, Normal rockets are boring compared to this...

[urbanr0cker]

Yeah, i watched this on ABC the other day...It was absolutely incredible :)

[bienveillance57]

Space shuttle is a fantastic machine. It might be so nice to pilot it !

[Na8ters]

agreed it's such a perfect job for me.

[mengzhe2046]

cool !I have

looked the Space Shuttle !

[love2run122]

I remember when I was in sixth grade and a space shuttle was released from riding piggy back on a 747. The entire school stopped to watch such an incredible event, I mean to tell ya'. Oh yeah, and the space shuttle landed safely too.

[Moco159]

that looks awsome!

[ALGISGREITAI]

well done!!!

[birdbrothers4]

oh yea first comment