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by Sommer_Son 2430 days ago
Shuttle had the capability to land unmanned from the beginning.

It just happened that it flew real missions with astronauts on board, so it wasn't used.
1 comments
souprock 2430 days ago
At best they could have skidded it down the runway, because opening the landing gear doors was purposely impossible without human intervention.
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Simon_says 2430 days ago
Why?
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souprock 2430 days ago
It would be quite deadly if they opened early. There was no need for automation.

Some time after the second wreak, NASA added the ability to run a cable for that. The idea was that a rescue mission would be launched, and the cable would be installed in the abandoned shuttle to allow a landing attempt.

BTW, the first mission was flown manually. I don't think the landing software could have been written without data from the first flight.

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NotSammyHagar 2428 days ago
They could have installed remote control landing gear if they ever needed it.
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