I watched some of the satellite feeds of the mission and there was a "pilots eye view" of the final approach - one hell of a steep descent!! I seem to remember reading that NASA had to modify a Gulfstream? to operate with in-flight thrust reversers to give the crew some realistic training...The actual landing was pretty damn good, and the roll out doesn't seem particularly long.
All the ground crew who first approach the shuttle when it has stopped are wearing full suits and breathing apparatus, which tallies with the comments about "nasties" being given off.