The shuttle was a very expensive program! Each launch was something like $450 million. I wouldnt be surprised if they had small teams at 2 or 3 runways as cont

The shuttle was a very expensive program! Each launch was something like $450 million. I wouldnt be surprised if they had small teams at 2 or 3 runways as contingency plans. If the shuttle landed some where they would definitely need help getting out of it and I doubt it would be much cheaper to keep locals trained and ready.