GoKawiilAstronaut Charlie Precourt recounts piloting Space Shuttle Atlantis to landing
In a first-person account, former NASA astronaut Charlie Precourt describes commanding Space Shuttle Atlantis through its final descent after a 10-day mission delivering supplies and a new crew to the Russian Mir station. He details disengaging the autopilot near Mach 1 at 45,000 feet and relying on mission pilot Eileen Collins' scripted calls to guide the unpowered glider to a precise touchdown at Kennedy Space Center.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account offers a rare, detailed look at the extreme precision required to fly an unpowered spacecraft back to Earth, where there is no option to abort or go around once committed to the approach. It underscores how extensive training and tightly choreographed crew communication made it possible to safely land a vehicle traveling at supersonic speeds down to a controlled runway stop.
- The shuttle's final descent from Mach 1 to touchdown took only a few minutes with no go-around possible.
- Pilot Eileen Collins provided continuous scripted guidance calls during the unpowered glide.
- The mission involved delivering supplies and a fresh crew to Russia's Mir space station before returning to Kennedy Space Center.
EAA Membership (Experimental Aircraft Association) — This gripping account of flying the Space Shuttle to a dead-stick landing comes straight from an EAA member sharing his story in EAA publications. Joining EAA connects you to a community of pilots and aviation enthusiasts who share firsthand accounts like this one, plus access to fly-ins, technical resources, and aviation history. It's a natural next step for anyone inspired by the thrill of flight described in this article.
See EAA Membership (Experimental Aircraft Association) on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: inspire.eaa.org, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Landing the Space Shuttle – A Flying Machine and the Thrill of a Lifetime”
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