StarJet system preps runway used for space shuttle landing

When the space shuttle Endeavour made its final landing Sept. 21 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it arrived on a runway maintained by a StarJet pavement marking removal system from NLB Corp. 

The StarJet, operated by Sterndahl Enterprises, Inc. of Sun Valley, Calif. removes old runway markings and rubber build-up with high-pressure water jets (up to 40,000 psi) without the pavement damage that often results from abrasives or grinding.  The self-contained system has rotating water jet nozzles on a front-mounted articulating arm with a pump unit, water tank, and vacuum system to recover the water and debris.