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STS-122 Commander Steve Frick is seated in the shuttle training aircraft or STA at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

NASA

NASA
Washington, DC, United States

Dressed in his launch and entry suit, STS-122 Commander Steve Frick is seated in the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Frick and Pilot Alan Poindexter are practicing shuttle landings in the STA before the Feb. 7 launch of 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. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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  • Title: STS-122 Commander Steve Frick is seated in the shuttle training aircraft or STA at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
  • Location: Kennedy Space Center, FL
  • Owner: KSC
  • Album: cbabir
  • About Title: To help you find images you’re searching for, previously untitled images have been labelled automatically based on their description
NASA

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