this is matthew james in melbourne. reentry is one of the most critical moments as it moves from 18,000 miles per hour, aerodynamic friction as the shuttle falls into the atmosphere, temperatures of up to 2800°. the crew on the columbia will put the shuttle 40° above the horizon and begin reentry. ♪ >> the 31,000 on the craft, absorbed the heat without transferring it to the interior of the spacecraft. at the center, those on duty await word that contact has been made. narrator: the onboard computers guided by mission control houston and the pilots fly the shuttle back towards earth. a long, very fast guide to california, supersonic, then as the crew approaches it, the airspeed slows dramatically. ♪ >> [speaking foreign language] narrator: the orbiter will be taken to a processing facility for a complete check before its next mission. ♪ progress is not a monopoly of the united states. the space transportation system will be used by nations of the world. payload space aboard shuttle has been booked ahead by many

this is matthew james in melbourne. the shuttle slows from a speed of 18,000 miles per hour. shuttle goes into the heavy atmosphere and generates temperatures of up to 2800 degrees. the crew on the columbia have begun reentry at this altitude. >> they must reject and absorb this heat without transferring it to the interior spacecraft. those on duty weight word that contact has been made. james: the onboard computers, guided by ms. control, houston and the pilot fly the shuttle back toward earth. along, very fast glide from mid pacific to southern california. supersonic seeds -- speeds and then mid sonic and then as the fruit comes down, the air speeds those dramatically. -- supersonic speeds and then mid sonic speeds and then as the crew comes down, the air speeds slow dramatically. the orbiter will be taken to the processing facility for a complete checkout before his next mission. -- its next mission. progress is not a monopoly of the united states. the space transportation system will be used by nations of the world. space aboard shuttles have been booked by many nations.

this is matthew james in melbourne. reentry poses one of the most critical moments as they are at 8,000 miles per hour. as the shuttle falls into the atmosphere, generates temperatures of up to 2800 degrees. the crew on the columbia have tilted the nose 40 degrees above the horizon. at this altitude they now begin reentry. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> the 31,000 silica fiber tiles on the craft must reject and absorb heat without transferring to the interior of the spacecraft. at the center, those on duty, contact has been made to determine -- >> the on-board computers guided by mission control houston and the pilots, fly the shuttle back toward earth. a long very fast glide from mid pacific to california. first at hypersonic speeds, then supersonic, then as the crew makes an approach to the landing at nasa's dryden center, the air speed slows dramatically. ♪♪ ♪♪ [ speaking foreign language ] >> the orbiter will be taken to the processing facility for a complete check-out before its next mission. progress is not a monopoly o

this is matthew james in melbourne. re-entry poses one of the most critical moments for the crew of the orbiter, as the shuttle slows from an orbital speed of 18,000 miles per hour. aerodynamic friction, as the shuttle falls into the heavy atmosphere, generates temperatures of up to 2,800 degrees. the crew on the columbia have now ported the nose of the shuttle 40 degrees above the horizon. in this multitude, they now begin reentry. ♪ >> the silica fiber tiles on 31,000 the craft must reject the heat without transferring it to the interior of the spacecraft. at the center, those on-duty away word that contact again -- i wait word that contact has been made. james: the onboard computers guided by mission control houston and the pilots fly the shuttle back to word the earth. a long, very fast glide from pacific to california. first at hypersonic speeds then supersonic, then as the crew makes an approach to the landing at nasa's dryden center, the airspeed slows dramatically. ♪ [intense orchestral music] ♪ >> [speaki