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X. RUNWAY OVERVIEW Runways at KSC and EAFB were compared with typical specifications from the Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and with the Orbiter specification in JSC-07700, volume X. Comparisons were made with respect to length, width, stabilized shoulders, unobstructed clearances, and runway surfaces and are summarized in table 4. The length of runways varies by the aircraft in the typical specification. The Orbiter requirement is for 15 000 feet for the end-of-mission runways and 12 500 feet for any other runway. All KSC and EAFB lakebed and concrete runways meet this criteria, with the lakebed runways providing to 25 000 feet total length. The width requirement is 300 feet in the Orbiter specification for end-of-mission runways and 150 feet for any other runway used. By contrast, the Air Force requires 200 feet, the FAA 100 feet, and the ICAO 150 feet. The surface of the lakebed runways is a compact soil; the EAFB concrete runway is a brushed concrete. The KSC concrete runway is a coarse brushed and grooved (for water runoff) runway. The high coefficient of friction at KSC along with the grooving provides an all-weather landing feature that is not available on any other end-of-mission runway at EAFB or WSMR. The stabilized width in the Air Force specification calls for 600 feet, ICAO for 200 feet, and the FAA for 140 feet. KSC provides 400 feet, 300 feet concrete and 100 feet limestone stabilized shoulders, EAFB lakebed 1300 feet, and EAFB concrete 900 feet. The intent of the stabilized width is to allow emergency vehicle access to thee aircraft and is not to provide rolling surface for the aircraft. Certainly, however, an aircraft would stand a better chance of rolling on the surface if it were stabilized. The unobstructed width requirement is measured from the runway centerline and is 1000 feet for the Air Force specification, and 500 feet for ICAO and the FAA. The EAFB concrete and lakebed runways provide 500 feet and KSC provides 350 feet. The intent of this requirement is to avoid having buildings in the acidity of the runway which could be damaged by an aircraft missing the runway on landing. KSC's 350-foot limit is bound by an 8 foot deep canal. The 1000-foot primary surface requirement is satisfied out to the animal fence. Hence, the intent of an unobstructed clearance is met; however, it does not provide any likelihood of supporting a rolling Orbiter beyond the 350-foot limit. The Orbiter specifications for secondary runways accepts "as is" for both stabilized shoulders and unobstructed clearances. It appears that all KSC and EAFB runways easily meet the intent of most of the Air Force, FAA, and ICAO specification requirements. The EAFB runways clearly offer a greater stabilized width, which could be a significant help for a landing situation that resulted in an off runway scenario. XI. OFF RUNWAY SCENARIOS Failure scenarios that would result in off runway cases are considered by the NSTS Program to be very unlikely and have not constituted run- -B17-
