KSC-2011-1536

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-133 Pilot Eric Boe takes a break on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway from performing touch-and-go landings in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Boe and STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey flew two Gulfstream II business jets that are modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Practice landings are part of standard training before space shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station. Scheduled to lift off Feb. 24 at 4:50 p.m. EST, Discovery and its six-member crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost. For more information on the STS-133 mission, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett