[dbarlett]

Towards the end of the program, a "jumper cable" was carried to get around that:

  The cable would connect an avionics bay in Discovery's middeck with the
  controls one level up on its flight deck, effectively allowing flight
  controllers in Houston to perform landing activities currently done by
  shuttle  astronauts.

  Those manual activities include starting the shuttle's auxiliary power units,
  deploying an air data probe, unstowing the orbiter's landing gear and
  releasing its drag chute after landing, Herring said.

[1] http://www.space.com/2560-shuttle-carry-tools-repair-remote-...