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Originally Posted by DUCKY
Aside from the fact that White Sands is not fully up to date... (Landing software & hardware???)
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One thing White Sands is missing is the crane used to lift a shuttle onto the 747 SCA. They were planning to transport it there and begin to set it up, just as a contingency.
Did they ever complete a shuttle landing facility at Vandenberg, or was it only a launcher?
And with the right deorbit routine, there are a lot of long, smooth runways (usually at AFBs that serviced the big bombers in the 50s and 60s) that a shuttle could land on, in an unusual situation—but since White Sands doesn't see much weather at all, this shouldn't be an issue.