"...the shuttle appeared far above the northeast
horizon, a white dot against a cloudless blue sky. That dot was dropping
so fast that to an eye accustomed to watching the more gradual descent
of commercial jets, it seemed inevitable that the shuttle would crash to
the desert floor. And as it continued to drop at a precipitous rate - about
seven times steeper than an airliner - the white dot gradually became a
bulky white spacecraft with a black underbelly. It was only 2000 feet above
the ground - racing toward touchdown at 270 miles an hour - when Young
pulled back on the 'stick' inside the spacecraft, raising the nose of the
Columbia and flattening out it glide path dramatically. The transformation
was so stunning that for the final 20 seconds the spacecraft appeared to
be falling in slow motion, totally in control. As it touched down at a
speed 80 to 90 miles an hour faster than a commercial airliner does, the
rear wheels nestled into the hard-packed sand of Rogers Dry Lake, kicking
a rooster tail high into the air, and Young gently lowered the front wheel
as well."
- Larry Eichel, Philadephia
Inquirer Staff Writer
|
