Did You Hear the Boom?

The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Edwards AFB, here in Southern California, at 12:49 p.m., complete with trademark sonic booms:

Atlantis crossed the Pacific and glided to a stop at 12:49 p.m. on a runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA managers had hoped to land the shuttle in Florida, but bad weather forced them to abandon that plan.

"Welcome back," Mission Control told Atlantis. "Congratulations on a great mission." Controllers praised the crew for providing a "stepping stone to the rest of NASA's exploration plan."

Atlantis' return from NASA's first manned flight of the year was marked by its trademark twin sonic booms that were heard from San Diego to Los Angeles. After deploying its parachute, the shuttle came to rest on the concrete runway under mostly sunny skies.

Damn -- how did I miss the booms?! In past Edwards landings, the sonic booms have shaken the windows here in the office.