# Backup space shuttle landing sites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037 "2000-10-23T22:44:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![schief2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@schief2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schief2)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/1 "2000-10-23T22:44:22Z")
I’ve been reading about how the current space shuttle mission has had several unplanned ‘extensions’ because conditions are too windy/stormy/whatever for the shuttle to land at either Kennedy Space Center in Florida or Edwards AFB in California. So now what if, theoretically, the weather at neither place gets favorable any time soon? Like, say a hurricane roars down on KSC and an earthquake, or mudslides, or Santa Anas (or whatever disaster you people in California get this time of the year ;)) kicks up at Edwards. The shuttle obvisouly can’t stay up forever, so where else could they land, if need be? I was told once that Whiteman AFB here in Missouri is something like fifth on ‘the list’, but I’ve not been able to find any sort of verification of that on the net. ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/2 "2000-10-23T23:14:11Z")
The only landing sites I found were: White Sands, N.M.; Edwards Air Force Base; or the Kennedy Space Center. If they have to abort before reaching orbit they can perform a TransAtlantic Landing. > [@](#): > > A TAL would be made at one of four designated sites, two in Africa and two in Spain: > Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco; Yundum International Airport, Banjul, The Gambia; > Moron Air Base, Spain; and Zaragoza Air Base, Spain. Above from [http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/](http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/) Moron Air Base? Naaahh… Too easy. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/3 "2000-10-23T23:18:23Z")
The 3rd flight of Columbia back in 1982 landed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. I think the landing strip in Florida hadn’t been finished at that point and rain at Edwards forced them to land there. If something goes wrong during launch the Shuttle’s emergency landing points are in Dakar, Senegal & Moron (hehe), Spain. I imagine that the Shuttle could land there from orbit if necessary. But most every major Air Force base in the country probably has a long enough landing strip to handle the shuttle in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/4 "2000-10-23T23:22:53Z")
I know that there is an emergency landing site on Easter Island. From what I have been told, it is in case the shuttle could not make it into orbit, and had to land. FWIW, the airstrip on Easter Island is HUGE, but it is not a site high on the options list since there are no facilities to get the shuttle onto a 747. ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/5 "2000-10-23T23:35:10Z")
[http://www.srh.noaa.gov/smg/smgwx.htm](http://www.srh.noaa.gov/smg/smgwx.htm) NOAA, not NASA. Note they use the term “Primary Landing Sites” not “All Landing Sites”, though. Maybe they don’t want us to know… ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/6 "2000-10-23T23:47:06Z")
Here’s a NASA Fact sheet on the TALs… [http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/tal.htm](http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/tal.htm) When I went to Space Camp in 1987 one of the emergency landing sites was in Senegal not Gambia but I guess that’s been changed since then. It’s basically the same chunk of Africa, I guess Gambia’s airport is better nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/7 "2000-10-24T00:12:21Z")
There was a striking cover of Analog SF magazine back sometime in the 80s with a shuttle in the foreground and a bunch of the Easter Island heads in the background. I believe it was in support of a novel by “Lee Correy”, the pseudonym of G. Harry Stine, who died in 1997. IIRC, it was about an emergency shuttle landing on said island and the complications thereof. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/8 "2000-10-24T02:39:20Z")
Until it closed, CFB Edmonton was a designated alternate. I believe it was the most northerly alternate, and I’m not sure which mission profiles it would be useful for. That runway was the longest in the British Commonwealth, and one of biggest in the world at about 15,000 ft long and 200 ft wide. It was a SAC base in the 50’s, on lease to Canada and used for B-52 staging. Did anyone notice that Spain has an airfield called “Moron Airbase”? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-space-shuttle-landing-sites/38037/9 "2000-10-24T02:45:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\* > > Did anyone notice that Spain has an airfield called “Moron Airbase”? > > \*\* Just about everyone did. There should be an accent mark on the second “o”.