Shuttle Landing to Be Off Limits to the Public

NASA and Air Force officials warned Thursday that Edwards Air Force Base will be off limits to the public for Sunday morning’s scheduled landing of the space shuttle Columbia, although nearby sites may provide a view of the craft to resolute fans.

The nation’s 30th shuttle mission is due to touch down sometime between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., although the exact time will not be announced until 24 hours earlier. Because Columbia carried a classified Defense Department payload on its five-day mission, the public will be kept away.

“It’s a closed landing. The public will be turned away at the base and they will be turned off base property,” said Air Force Capt. Ben Jenkins of Edwards’ security police. The base is located in the Mojave Desert about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Columbia’s astronauts continued their secret work Thursday during their third day in orbit, but Air Force Secretary Donald Rice broke the official silence to confirm that the crew had deployed a satellite seven hours after liftoff Tuesday.

The 10-ton device was believed to be a powerful spy satellite designed to snap highly detailed photographs of military targets over a large area of the globe, including most of the Soviet Union.

“The United States now has a satellite in orbit as the result of a very successful launch,” Rice told reporters after a ceremony at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. “I can say that was a very important day for the Air Force and the nation’s space program.

But when asked about the satellite’s purpose, Rice replied, “I’m not at liberty to say.”

Air Force and California Highway Patrol officials predicted that some people will show up at Edwards on Sunday despite the closed landing. Many may not know that the area is off limits, while others may decide to persevere in hopes of catching a glimpse of the shuttle.

The best location for viewing Columbia ought to be off California 58, which runs along the northern border of the base, officials said. Columbia is expected to pass over that area on its gliding descent toward a landing on Rogers Dry Lake.

CHP officials suggested that motorists get off at Claymine Road or nearby off-ramps, and then park off the road.

“Any one of those and you’ll see it fly right over your head,” said Officer Julie Bookman at the CHP’s Mojave office.

Seeing the touchdown from that vantage point is unlikely, however.