World spaceports: Gran Canaria Airport

Besides the well know Kennedy Space Center or Baikonur launch sites, there are many other such places around the world. Some of them aren't used for rocket launches, it they played an important role in space history, or are part of current aerospace activities.

As part of the development of my Orbiter stock bases upgrade add-on, I've done some research regarding this sometimes little know sites. My objective was to provide high resolution surface tiles for each base and to represent, using the stock base objects, the main structures present. I'll share here some interesting places I discovered.

Gran Canaria Airport (IATA: LPA, ICAO: GCLP), (also known as Las Palmas Airport) was an official alternative (emergency) landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle.Also nearby is the Gran Canaria drop zone, an air-launched rocket drop zone, located lat/long 27.0, -15.3.

Runways:
- 03L/21R : 10,171 x 148 ft (3,100 x 45 m) — paved — lighted
- 03R/21L : 10,171 x 148 ft (3,100 x 45 m) — paved — lighted

Frequencies:
- ILS: 03L 109.900; 21R 110.700
- APP: 120.9 MHz
- ATIS: 118.6 MHz
- GND: 121.7 MHz
- TWR: 118.3 MHz
Gran Canaria Airport in Orbiter
(as featured on my Orbiter stock bases upgrade add-on)

Gran Canaria Airport on GoogleMaps

Charts, diagrams and reference photos

Orion cockpit layout

In preparation for my Constellation program add-on, I collected some images about Orion's cockpit panel layout. These are quite interesting and you can see how it is evolving. 2012 (NASA Systems Engineering Simulator) 2014 layout I assembled this view from a NASA video showing most parts of the panel and LCD displays. Resolution is good enough to read most of the labels. 2014 Mockup 2015 Mockup The 2015 mockup shows some diferences from the 2014 version. The design seems less monotonous and with a few less flip switches. Image sources: NASA

Hermes space shuttle interior, cockpit and instrument panel resources

The ESA Hermes space shuttle project ran from 1975 to 1992, after an original proposal from the French CNES (National Space Studies Center). The spacecraft was intended to serve two proposed European space stations: the Man Tended Free-Flyer / Columbus Space Station and the Polar Platform. Before cancellation, some mock-ups and trainers were built. Because the project was developed in the 1980's there aren't many reference photos on the web. I'm taking the liberty of posting the all the images I could find on the web of the Hermes interior, cockpit and instrument panels. This way they are grouped all together in a single place for the convenience, so that the general layout can be understood and the different mock-ups / simulator versions can be sorted out. Hermes shuttle flight simulator Hermes shuttle simulator Hermes shuttle misc mock-ups Hermes shuttle mock-up version "a" ...

Vostok panels

I've more or less completed the Vostok panels. The main panel is reasonably accurate, but the side panel is still very rough. Without better reference images it will be hard to do.

Orbiter Spaceport

Search This Blog