KSC-05pd-1669

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility on NASA Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins pauses for a photo with fellow crew members. At left is Mission Specialist Charles Camarda; at right is Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson. Collins and Pilot James Kelly have been practicing night landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) in preparation for the mission. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II executive 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. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 is scheduled to launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery with a crew of seven at 10:39 a.m. EDT on July 26. Landing is expected on Aug. 7.