STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and Doug Hurley are ready to begin practicing landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Doug Hurley are ready to begin practicing landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. They are practicing in preparation for launch of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission on June 13 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. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett