The Shuttle Training Aircraft takes off with STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky or Pilot Doug Hurley in the cockpit.

From the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Training Aircraft takes off with STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky or Pilot Doug Hurley in the cockpit. They are practicing shuttle landings in preparation for launch of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for June 13. The STA 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. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. It is the 127th shuttle flight and the 29th in the assembly of the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett