Rick Sturckow left and Pilot Kevin Ford are ready to begin practicing shuttle landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft or STA.

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow (left) and Pilot Kevin Ford are ready to begin practicing shuttle landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STA. The practice is in preparation for launch of space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission in late August to the International Space Station. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II jet that was modified to simulate a shuttle’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. The STS-128 crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett