Samael I’m not saying a pilot’s job is easy, I’m saying it’s routine. You don’t applaud when you arrive at your destination by car, do you? It’s not always easy to drive, and there are far more fatal hazards on the road than in the air. Driving a car is routine, flying a plane is routine (there are literally thousands of planes in the air all around the world right now), landing a space shuttle from 200 miles above the surface of the earth is science. Science that didn’t happen everyday, and is literally a hit or miss. If you miss your exit on the highway, get off at the next exit and turn around. If you’re coming in for a landing but the wind is a little too strong, go around and try another runway. If the space shuttle landing wasn’t executed perfectly, and missed the mark by even a fraction of a percent, there were no second chances.
But the "Pilot" does not land the shuttle any longer. It landed by itself. The ONLY interaction with the controls is to lower the landing gear at a certain time. And if the pilot does not execute on time the system will lower them anyway. A person has not flown the shuttle to landing in a long time.
@@stuartgray5877 You're wrong in saying the pilot/commander didn't fly the shuttle to landing. Almost all of the shuttle's approaches and landing were done manually. Also, the Space Shuttle program is ended, so no one has been flying it for quite some time, manually or otherwise.
You are right :D but should not it be technically called the most gorgeus gliding brick during the reentry and landing? (But still, flying brick sounds better)
There is something inherently sexy about a 75 ton cargo space ship, entering the atmosphere at the speed of 7,6 kilometres per second and despite having no fuel to accelerate being able get to the runway and land on it gracefully like a plane. And all this despite its shitty aerodynamics.
*Actually being able to reenter the atmosphere at Mach 25 half way around the world to a pinpoint landing at KSC* *is a remarkable feat of engineering.*
Every inch of its path has already been pre determined and mission control is watching everything so carefully I think it would be near impossible to fuck up the landing minus a mechanical failure
There something astonishing that in under 100 years we went from barley gliding a plane in 1903 to having a vehicle that can blast into space, then land on earth like a plane
5:11 i love the fact that when it touches down the smoke kind of spirals to the side. Is it just me or does the spiraling smoke make it look like the shuttle is making an elegant entrance
@@whyers4782 not all, it’s mainly fighters or delta wing equipped airplanes. Its literally the vortices off the wings creating those mini tornadoes and since the gear is so close to the wingtips it’s a lot more visible
i will forever be in awe of the shuttle, looking at her parked up and seeing how rough and dirty she looks but at the same time mesmerized knowing everything she has gone thru since being launched
I was a Space Vehicle Test Mechanic for Rockwell International at KSC….my Spirit misses the experience of Space Shuttle technology and all my fellow co-workers that made the Space Shuttle a success ! My Heart goes out to the Families of the 2 Crews who gave their all to this Space Exploration Endeavor ! Love my coworkers and may we meet again one fine day ! Godspeed !
My late father Carl J. Brunswick worked for Rockwell International at the Santa Susana Pass location on the border of Los Angeles county and Ventura county from the 1950s until he retired in 1985 or 1986. As a child growing up I never knew exactly what my father’s job was at Rockwell International. The Cold War with the USSR was still going on at the time. My father and everyone who worked with him were required to sign documents that they would never discuss what they did upon penalty of death, outside of assigned locations. It was only a few years before his death in 2010 that he was able to tell his family some of the things he worked on. He was known as a troubleshooter. That meant whenever something went wrong it was his team that were to figure out what went wrong and fix it so it didn’t (hopefully) happen again. During his years at Rockwell International he worked on a number of different projects, from helping to build and test the engines that were on the rockets that went to the moon, to helping build the computer system that was on the first space shuttle. I’m sure my father would be happy that other people are still working together to help everyone on earth have a better understanding of space and our future in it.
@@YDDES Considering the circumstances it is. There’s quite a difference between a glider flight and a flight above the atmosphere for several months. And to add to that this glider has aerodynamics so terrible it was referred to as the “flying brick” with its stubby little wings and blunt nose. Also considering this thing is rivaling the size of a 737, and landing at speeds higher than fighter jets, that’s pretty amazing.
@@YDDES it has big boy wings, and they had to land FROM SPACE, survive reentry and make sure they wont miss or overshoot. now that is way more impressive.
@@YDDES it doesn’t land automatically. The shuttle was landed 100% manually. The only thing the computer did was put information on the HUD. The shuttle’s computer couldn’t even hold a modern photo file, it most definitely didn’t have an autoland feature which still isn’t perfect even today.
Lmao, just imagine the captain saying. “Currently we are at 55,000 feet of elevation and are descending. We will be on the ground in approximately 11 minutes so please, fasten your seatbelts. Good day”
I was born in 1988 born and raised and still live about 45 mins NW of KSC I loved going outside to watch the space shuttle launches. The sonic booms was so awesome to hear we knew the shuttle was almost home safely. I remember in 2003 waiting outside to hear the sonic boom from Columbia I knew something was wrong when we didn't hear the boom. I'll always miss seeing the shuttle launches. SpaceX rockets are cool to see but they'll never come close to how awesome the shuttle launches were
@evanwallace4510. Once I took a walk with our dog in the late evening, and happened to see.the ISS fly overhead, and a Spaceshuttle just departing it. Quite interesting!
Fun fact the astronaut Mission Commander and pilot Lee Archembolt on this shuttle mission was also my mom’s neighbor across the street in her hometown Bellwood!
This looks and must feel like when I am coming home from a tropical vacation in paradise, and being welcome back to torrential downpour in the streets of Boston. I can't imagine spending 134 days in space and the feeling of finally touching the ground.
The drag chute is cut at 60 mph and is done at this time so it doesnt interfere with work at the rear of the orbiter after wheel stop. Many vehicles have to pull up next to the orbiter for work and the crew has to position the engine bells and open the belly ET doors etc. If the chute was done later it would be run over, tangled etc.
@@RideAcrossTheRiver👋😝❌ you sound blissful with that ignorance ,((Wee’Todd ) Now that’s how to insult Flake … haha Cfumb bag😝 go back to sleep young Sheeple
I miss the Shuttle....I never missed a take off or landing. Still amazes me how they fly it like a glider ! "Thank you Shuttle for such amazing work and achievements, you and your crew will always be in our hearts 💕 "
The Florida commemorative quarter has a space shuttle on the back. It’s definitely in my top three favorite commemorative quarters. I also love the Colorado and Mississippi quarters.
I would love to see what real NASA employees think when they read the comments of all the expert RU-vid shuttle pilots on here and do they just shake their heads and laugh or what
@@jrockett73 Genuine question I have: Are there any big advantages to the spaceplane design? I'm obviously not an expert but it seems kind of dumb to me to use all that power to carry a spaceplane when you could just use it to haul whatever cargo you need.
Well, the last 30 years wasn't just about hauling cargo. The shuttle did many things to advance space flight wether you agree with the program or not. In order to build the ISS there had to be a platform so to speak. The shuttle provided that as it hauled the equipment, was a work shop to put it together and a safe area for the amount of people it hauled. It was also a platform to retrieve, fix and release satellites and prove new technologies. It was a testing ground for EVA's in space along with robotics. It was the beginning of new, reusable and lighter materials such as carbon fiber, insulation tiles. Fly by wire control systems was introduced by the program. Because it wasn't economically a success , some people call it a failure. Sometimes you have to do things wether its cost effective or not. My opinion only.
You can take many flights in your life but this flight is an absolute honor to be in.... not many people in the world would have the opportunity to to take a ride and the one's who do are very special. Many thanks for your R&D....
That's the sound of one of the many APU's (auxiliary power unit) that power various systems on the shuttle. It might be a glider and not using rocket or jet engines when it's returning to earth, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still have various other systems working and making noises.
I remember my second grade teacher showing us discovery landing. Not sure if it was a live stream of video, doesn’t matter. Either way, I found it really cool and made me more fascinated with space flight and the wonders that come with it. I now, about 11-12 years later at studying mechanical engineering at university.
its amazing what american engineers can invent and control that thing all the way to the ground from space. now all they need to invent is how to control their government.
No. Control is not what our government needs, never has, and never will. It is that way in our Constitution which is carved in permanent history. Having no control over the public and officials means you're in a free world man. Welcome to America, although there will always be some corruptness here just like every country/civilization, but the three power system plus the House being separate from the Senate makes it next to impossible to "control".
TheGR, I 100% agree with you and think that American stereotypes are completely blown out of the water. Britain has fat people, they have guns, yet America is blamed for all these problems.
Amazing.. when she landed at first sight it seemed to me like a lone deserted wanderer visiting some unknown place, uncared for... but the final sight was a one to behold... such magnificent scale of landing ops... well done everyone... encouraging indeed... Love from INDIA
