<P> In 1976 , NASA selected Northrup Strip as the site for shuttle pilot training . A second runway was added crossing the original north - south landing strip , and in 1979 both lakebed runways were lengthened to 35,000 ft ( 10,668 m ) , which includes 15,000 ft ( 4,572 m ) usable runway with 10,000 ft ( 3048 m ) extensions on either end , to allow the White Sands Space Harbor ( WSSH ) to serve as shuttle backup landing facility . While the Space Harbor was activated as a backup landing site for STS - 116 due to poor weather conditions at both Edwards Air Force Base ( high cross-winds ) and Kennedy Space Center ( clouds and rain ) , White Sands was only used for one landing of the space shuttle , that of the Space Shuttle Columbia on 30 March 1982 for STS - 3 . </P>
<P> In 1976 , NASA selected Northrup Strip as the site for shuttle pilot training . A second runway was added crossing the original north - south landing strip , and in 1979 both lakebed runways were lengthened to 35,000 ft ( 10,668 m ) , which includes 15,000 ft ( 4,572 m ) usable runway with 10,000 ft ( 3048 m ) extensions on either end , to allow the White Sands Space Harbor ( WSSH ) to serve as shuttle backup landing facility . While the Space Harbor was activated as a backup landing site for STS - 116 due to poor weather conditions at both Edwards Air Force Base ( high cross-winds ) and Kennedy Space Center ( clouds and rain ) , White Sands was only used for one landing of the space shuttle , that of the Space Shuttle Columbia on 30 March 1982 for STS - 3 . </P>
when did the space shuttle land at white sands
when did the space shuttle land at white sands
30 March 1982
30 March 1982