Orbiter Control Panel:  Abort

Abort Sites	TAL Site:  Choose a TAL Site... Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco Zaragoza Air Base, Spain Banjul International Airport, Gambia	AOA Site: Choose an AOA landing site... White Sands, New Mexico Edwards Airforce Base, California Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Mission Time:
Orbiter Status:
Altitude:
Distance
Engine 1
Engine 2
Engine 3
Say
Two Engine Abort
One Engine Abort

 

The Space Shuttle Orbiter may have to return to earth during launch if something goes wrong.  There are several different ways the shuttle can return to Earth during a launch. 

1. Return To Launch Site (RTLS)

2. Trans-Atlantic Abort (TAL) where the Shuttle lands in an airport on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean

3. Abort Once Around (AOA) where the Shuttle circles the Earth once and returns to a landing site in New Mexico, California or Florida. 

Your control panel has two abort areas: 

• If the shuttle has two good engines (one of its engines has failed), it will use the two-engine abort mode.

• If the Shuttle has only one engine left, it will use the one engine abort mode.

You may read about the emergency plans for the shuttle using the links below.  When you are ready, check with the Weather Officer and make choose a landing site for each "abort mode" above.  Use the landing site with the least amount of wind, clouds and rain.  If the shuttle is gliding to a landing without an engine, it needs the clearest weather possible.  Make sure to choose a landing site BEFORE THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS.

During the flight, be sure to keep your eye on the red statements that you must call out to the shuttle crew.  These statements tell the shuttle what to do at each moment in the flight if there is a problem on board.

• RTLS
• TAL
• AOA