In the event of an abort during launch, NASA had several international locations designated as transoceanic abort landing (TAL) sites. All sites have runways of sufficient length to support the landing of a Space Shuttle, and included personnel from NASA as well as equipment to aid a space shuttle landing.[11] The sites included:
Naval Air Station Bermuda
Shannon Airport Ireland
3,199 metre runway on the west coast of Ireland requested to be added to the list in 1995
Lajes Air Base in Terceira island, Azores, Portugal (Runway 30L is 12,109 ft (3,691 m) long[12])
Zaragoza Air Base in Spain, Morón Air Base in Spain (with an 11,800 ft (3,600 m) runway[13])
Istres Air Base in France (Runway 33 is12,303 ft (3,750 m) long[14][15])
Former TAL sites include:
Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory
Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany
Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco (1988–2002)[16]
Casablanca, Morocco (up to 1986)[16]
Banjul International Airport, The Gambia (1987–2002)[17]
Dakar, Senegal
Rota, Spain
Kano, Nigeria[18]
RAF Fairford, UK[19]
Planned TAL sites for launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, which did not end up happening:
Hao and Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean
Andersen AFB, Guam (with one of the longest concrete runways in the world)[20
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