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STS-129 Crew Training - Commander Charles Hobaugh during STA Training

A Fighter Squadron 211 (VF-211) radar intercept officer (RIO) gives thumbs up from the back seat of an F-14A Tomcat aircraft

STS051-01-013 - STS-051 - Crewmembers in the aft flight deck

Aviation Anti-submarine Warfare Operator 2nd Class Daniel P. McClintock mans a sonar console aboard a Patrol Squadron 48 (VP-48) P-3C Orion aircraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, Mission STS-117 Pilot Lee Archambault sits in the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft (STA) ready to begin practice flights as part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. 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. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the International Space Station. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight and the 21st flight to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd0505

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Pilot Christopher Ferguson arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. The STS-115 crew has flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT is a pre-launch preparation that includes practicing emergency egress from the pad, driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier, and simulating the launch countdown. Launch of STS-115 is currently scheduled for Aug. 27. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1743

51B-22-023 - STS-51B - 51B crew activities

S39-09-027 - STS-039 - STS-39 crew activities

The pilot and co-pilot of a C-130 Hercules aircraft fly their aircraft on a supply mission during Operation Desert Shield

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly performs touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2530

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly prepares to take flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2522

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly prepares to take flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2528

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Pilot Greg H. Johnson gets behind the controls of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2520

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly prepares to take flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2523

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly performs touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2529

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Pilot Greg H. Johnson completes touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2527

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Pilot Greg H. Johnson completes touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2526

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly, left, and Mission Specialist Michael Fincke arrive on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a T-38 jet. While at Kennedy, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training in preparation for the upcoming STS-134 mission. Endeavour and its six STS-134 crew members will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2512

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly gets behind the controls of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2521

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly gets behind the controls of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are 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 Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Space Shuttle program was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA and officially beginning in 1972. The Space Shuttle system—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank— carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and lands as a glider. Although the concept had been explored since the late 1960s, the program formally commenced in 1972 and was the focus of NASA's manned operations after the final Apollo and Skylab flights in the mid-1970s. It started with the launch of the first shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, on STS-1. and finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.

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sts 134 ov 105 final mission retire slf tcdt kennedy space center cape canaveral sts commander mark commander mark controls aircraft sta landings gulfstream jets gulfstream ii business jets phase practice practice landings endeavour space shuttle endeavour international space station members launch countdown launch countdown dress terminal terminal countdown demonstration test tcdt express logistics carrier express logistics carrier alpha spectrometer ams gas tank gas tank dextre helper micrometeoroid debris shields micrometeoroid debris shields spaceflight information visit space shuttle high resolution astronauts nasa
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1960 - 1969
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Space Shuttle Program

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label_outline Explore Sts 134 Ov 105 Final Mission Retire Slf Tcdt, Gulfstream Ii Business Jets, Launch Countdown Dress

S134E010911 - STS-134 - STS-134 Crew Members on the Flight Deck

S134E009195 - STS-134 - View of STS-134/Expedition 28 Crew Members in the Quest Airlock

SL2-X4-256 (25 May 1973) --- This photo, made at long range from the command module during Skylab 2's approach to the Skylab complex during fly-around inspection, features the orbital workshop with the area of the missing micrometeoroid shield visible. Photo credit: NASA sl2-x4-256

GULFSTREAM G-1 AIRPLANE INTERIOR

A 1st Airlift Squadron crew flies a recruiting mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. EDT, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. On board are STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and the European Space Agency's Roberto Vittori. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kevin O'Connell KSC-2011-4192

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-135 Pilot Doug Hurley pauses for a photo. The space shuttle Atlantis crew arrived at Kennedy at about 5:30 p.m. EDT to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training in preparation for the upcoming STS-135 mission. Atlantis and its crew is targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-4609

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, flies over NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility during landing practice. The commander and pilot of the STS-124 mission, Mark Kelly and Ken Ham, are making the practice landings. 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 aircraft duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to lift off on the STS-124 mission at 5:02 p.m. May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1473

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Doug Hurley perform touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An STA is a Gulfstream II jet that is modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Ferguson and Hurley practice landings as part of standard procedure before space shuttle Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station. Atlantis and its crew are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2011-5036

Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Morgera, 89th Maintenance

A 1st Airlift Squadron crew flies a recruiting mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-124 crew look over the scientific airlock in the Kibo pressurized module. The module is part of the payload for the mission, targeted for launch no earlier than April 24. The crew comprises seven: Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Kenneth Ham, and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ronald Garan, Michael Fossum and Akihiko Hoshide. The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test that includes familiarization with tools and equipment that will be used on the mission. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japanese pressurized module, the Kibo laboratory. The mission will include two spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system. The lab's logistics module, which will have been installed in a temporary location during STS-123, will be attached to the new lab. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd0051

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sts 134 ov 105 final mission retire slf tcdt kennedy space center cape canaveral sts commander mark commander mark controls aircraft sta landings gulfstream jets gulfstream ii business jets phase practice practice landings endeavour space shuttle endeavour international space station members launch countdown launch countdown dress terminal terminal countdown demonstration test tcdt express logistics carrier express logistics carrier alpha spectrometer ams gas tank gas tank dextre helper micrometeoroid debris shields micrometeoroid debris shields spaceflight information visit space shuttle high resolution astronauts nasa