Sunday, November 30, 2008

Mission Complete: Endeavour Lands Safely in Southern California











November 30, 2008

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE -– Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts are safely back on Earth after a perfect landing on a perfect day in southern California. ...

A pair of sonic booms were heard, and felt, across the southland as Endeavor broke the sound barrier and entered local airspace about five minutes before touching down.

Local authorities received a number of calls by people who thought they had heard an explosion, and one North Hollywood resident reported a broken glass as a result of the booms. ...

Two scheduled landings at Kennedy Space Center in Florida had to be scrubbed due to dangerously high winds and a stormy sky. The weather there is not expected to improve tomorrow. So Endeavour was forced to detour to sunny southern California where the weather is excellent.

NASA prefers to have shuttles return to Florida because it takes about a week and costs $1.8 million to transport a shuttle from California on top of a modified jumbo jet. Also, the families of the astronauts are waiting for their loved ones in Florida.

Full story and video at KTLA News

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