KSC-2009-6262

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two bald eagles stand sentinel as STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Pilot Barry E. Wilmore practice landings in a Shuttle Training Aircraft in preparation for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge coexists with Kennedy Space Center and provides a habitat for 330 species of birds including bald eagles. Bald eagles, which mate for life, use a specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Its natural domain is from Alaska to Baja, Calif., and from Maine to Florida. For information on the refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett