NATION : Few Expected at Shuttle Landing
Fewer than 2,000 spectators are expected when the space shuttle Columbia, loaded with a bus-sized satellite, makes its late-night landing this week on the Mojave Desert.
The landing, scheduled for 11:59 p.m. Thursday, will be only the second at night for a shuttle. Columbia, which has no running lights, will touch down on a concrete runway about five miles from the public viewing area.
“You’ll hear a ‘whoosh’ sound as it comes through the air but you won’t see it,” so no more than 2,000 people are expected, NASA spokeswoman Nancy Lovato said.
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