In 1991 Space Shuttle Atlantis returning after STS37 was forced to land on a lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base which had never been used by a shuttle before and wasn't included in mission plans.

But across the US the weather made it the only option, and to compound things, in addition to the runway being unfamiliar, the winds threw a few curveballs at them resulting in an approach that landed over 3000 feet before it was supposed to.

Wayne Hale published his excellent first person account of this mission:
https://waynehale.wordpress.com/2024/...


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