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From: wdh@hrshcx.csd.harris.com (W. David Higgins)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Fire near tail of shuttle after landings.
Message-ID: <1076@hrshcx.csd.harris.com>
Date: 12 Apr 91 02:27:52 GMT
References: <1991Apr11.223534.12896@pandora.matrox.com>
Organization: Harris Computer Systems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Lines: 16

In article <1991Apr11.223534.12896@pandora.matrox.com> hobrien@pluton.matrox.com (Hugh O'Brien) writes:
.     Sometime in 1985 I remember seeing a shuttle landing on TV where
. there was a clean flame emanating from near the base of the tail 
. after the orbiter had come to a stop.
.
.    What gives?  Did some sort of gas/hydraulic line rupture?  How come
. nothing like this was ever mentioned in the layman press?
.
.                          I have been pondering this for years.  

	Jeez, you should have asked.  It's the APU exhaust plume.  You
probably saw an infrared image from a '85 night landing.  The plume is very
evident then.  Daytime it is harder to see.
-- 
--  W. David Higgins                                          (hrshcx!wdh) 
--  Harris Computer Systems,  Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33309       305-973-5351