Shuttle training aircraft
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The Shuttle Training Aircraft is particularly critical for Shuttle pilots in training because the Orbiter lacks the atmospheric jet engines that would allow the craft to "try again" after a missed approach. Essentially a very heavy glider sometimes referred to as a 'flying brick' after atmospheric re-entry, the real spacecraft has only one chance to land properly.
STA is a modified Grumman Gulfstream II aircraft originally manufactured by Grumman Aerospace, a unit of U.S. defense contractor General Dynamics. The aircraft integrates an onboard computer system that enables it to simulate the orbiter's flight dynamics with impressive accuracy. The STA provides orbiter pilots with a realistic simulation of Orbiter cockpit motion, cues, and handling qualities, while simultaneously matching the spacecraft's atmospheric decent trajectory from 35000 ft to the actual Orbiter cockpit height above the runway at touchdown. An onboard computer called the Advanced Digital Avionics System (ADAS) controls the Direct Lift Control (DLC) and the in-flight reverse thrust during Simulation Mode.
The STAs are based at Ellington Field, adjacent to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).
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