Sep 24 1977
From The Space Library
The press reported that the third free flight of the Shuttle orbiter Enterprise over Edwards AFB had successfully tested the microwave scanning-beam landing system originally developed for the Navy to land planes on ships at sea. Pilots Fred W. Haise, Jr., and USAF Lt.Col. Charles Gordon Fullerton turned over orbiter control to the system for part of its steep glide down, and ground transmitters kept the craft in line with the runway during the 5min 34sec free flight. Installed at Edwards earlier in 1977, the system would also be installed at KSC to handle Shuttle landings there.
Despite radio-transmission problems between the orbiter and Houston, the launch went off on schedule. At 24 000ft in a shallow dive at 287mph the orbiter separated from its Boeing 747 carrier and reached a maximum speed of more than 333mph during its landing approach. (NYT, Sept 24/77, 24; W Star, Sept 24/77, A-5; W Post, Sept 26, A-4)
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