Night Flight
With STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Eric Boe at the controls, the Shuttle Training Aircraft takes off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The plane is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate a shuttle’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities.
In flight, the aircraft duplicates the shuttle’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet to landing. The practice is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which includes equipment familiarization, emergency exit procedures and a simulated launch countdown.
Image credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettOct. 27, 2008
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