White Sands Space Harbor

White Sands Space Harbor
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type		Military
Owner		US Air Force
Operator		NASA
Serves		White Sands Test Facility
Location		White Sands Missile Range
Elevation AMSL		3,913 ft / 1,192 m
Coordinates		32°56′35.6676″N 106°25′10.3080″W / 32.943241°N 106.41953°W / 32.943241; -106.41953
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
17/35	35,000	10,700	Dry Lakebed
5/23	35,000	10,700	Dry Lakebed
2/20	12,800	3,900	Dry Lakebed

White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) is the primary training area used by NASA for Space Shuttle pilots flying practice approaches and landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 Talon aircraft. Its runways, navigational aids, runway lighting, and control facilities also stand continuously ready as a backup Shuttle landing site.^[1] WSSH is a part of the White Sands Test Facility, and is located approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Alamogordo, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the White Sands Missile Range.

Runway facilities

See also: List of space shuttle landing runways

In 1976, NASA selected Northrop Strip as the site for shuttle pilot training. A second runway was added crossing the original north-south landing strip, and in 1979 both lakebed runways were lengthened to 35,000 ft (10,668 m), which includes 15,000 ft (4,572 m) usable runway with 10,000 ft (3048 m) extensions on either end, to allow the White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) to serve as shuttle backup landing facility. While the Space Harbor was activated as a backup landing site for STS-116 due to poor weather conditions at both Edwards Air Force Base (high cross-winds) and Kennedy Space Center (clouds and rain), White Sands has only been used for one landing of the space shuttle, that of the Space Shuttle Columbia on 31 March 1982 for STS-3.^[2]

References

1. ^ "White Sands Space Harbor". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wstf/spaceharbor/index.html. 
2. ^ "White Sands Space Harbor - Capabilities". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wstf/spaceharbor/Capabilities.html. 

Coordinates: 32°56′35.6676″N 106°25′10.3080″W / 32.943241°N 106.41953°W / 32.943241; -106.41953