STS-122 Commander Steve Frick waves from inside the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-122 Commander Steve Frick waves from inside the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Frick and Pilot Alan Poindexter will practice shuttle landings in the STA before the Dec. 6 launch on space shuttle Atlantis. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett