KSC-2009-3656

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 Pilot Doug Hurley checks cockpit controls seated in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. Hurley will fly the STA to practice landings 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