Commander Pamela Melroy and George Zamka are suited to practice landing in the shuttle training aircraft.

STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy and Pilot George Zamka are suited in their orange launch and entry suits and on their way to NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility to practice landing in the shuttle training aircraft, or STA. A modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet, the STA simulates an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Melroy and other crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to take part in the terminal countdown demonstration test, which also includes a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett