Nov 22 1985
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
The successful landing test on October 30 of a new nose-wheel steering system on the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission 61-A meant that the orbiter Columbia would resume Space Shuttle landings on the concrete runway at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) when it returned following mission 61-C, the Washington Post reported. All Space Shuttle landings since April had been at Edwards Air Force Base, where the long desert runways allowed pilots to roll to a stop without excessive brake use.
At KSC crosswinds tended to push the orbiter toward the edges of the narrow runway after the spacecraft touched down, which pilots countered by making "preferential" use of brake assemblies on the landing gear under the Space Shuttle's wings. By braking on one side or the other, pilots kept the orbiter on the runway. But a landing in April shredded three of the orbiter's tires and burned out a brake assembly. NASA built the new nose wheel steering mechanism into the orbiter so the pilot could steer the spacecraft without using his brakes.
Challenger Commander Henry Hartsfield said after the Challenger landing that he was "very pleased" with the assembly, but recommended one more test on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base. (W Post, Nov 22/85, A21)
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