The Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) was a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
training vehicle that duplicated the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
's approach profile and handling qualities, allowing
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
pilots to simulate Shuttle landings under controlled conditions before attempting the task on board the orbiter. The STA was also flown to assess weather conditions just prior to Space Shuttle launches and landings.
Development
NASA developed the STA using the
Grumman Gulfstream II
The Gulfstream II (G-II) is an American twin engine business jet designed and built by Grumman and then in succession, Grumman American and finally Gulfstream American. Its Grumman model number is G-1159 and its US military designation is C-11A. ...
as the underlying aircraft platform. During the early phases of the Shuttle program, NASA considered using the
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
airliner as the basis for the STA, but rejected it due to cost and opted for the less-expensive Gulfstream II.
The aircraft's exterior was modified to withstand the high aerodynamic forces incurred during training
sortie
A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
s. A redesigned cockpit provided a high-fidelity simulation of the Shuttle Orbiter's controls and pilot vantage point; even the seats were fitted in the same position as those in the Space Shuttle.
Operational history
The four STAs were normally located at the
NASA Forward Operating Location in
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and rotated through
Ellington Field
Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...
(
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas) for maintenance.
The STA was also used at
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
in Florida. It was primarily flown by astronauts practicing landings at the
Shuttle Landing Facility
The Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) also known as Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) is an airport located on Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is a part of the Kennedy Space Center and was used by Space Shuttle for lan ...
and
White Sands Space Harbor
White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) is a spaceport in New Mexico that was formerly used as a Space Shuttle runway, a test site for rocket research, and the primary training area used by NASA for Space Shuttle pilots practicing approaches and landin ...
as well as to assess weather conditions prior to Space Shuttle launches and landings.
On December 3, 2003, a NASA
Gulfstream II
The Gulfstream II (G-II) is an American twin engine business jet designed and built by Grumman and then in succession, Grumman American and finally Gulfstream American. Its Grumman model number is G-1159 and its US military designation is C-11A. ...
Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) was flying a series of simulated shuttle landings to the Kennedy Space Center shuttle landing facility. On board the aircraft was an unidentified NASA astronaut pilot and two training personnel. The aircraft was on final approach at 13,000 feet when onboard instruments indicated a malfunction on one of the jet engine thrust reversers. The aircraft landed safely. A post-landing inspection showed that one of the 585-pound, 4-foot-wide, 5-foot-long thrust reversers had fallen off the aircraft. Divers later found the thrust reverser on the bottom of the nearby Banana River. An investigation showed that a bolt failed, releasing the part from the aircraft.
Flight profile
The STA was particularly critical for Shuttle pilots in training because the Orbiter lacked atmospheric engines that would allow the craft to "go around" after a poor approach. After re-entry, the Shuttle was a very heavy
glider
Glider may refer to:
Aircraft and transport Aircraft
* Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight
** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
(it was affectionately referred to as a 'flying brick') and as such had only one chance to land successfully.
To match the descent rate and drag profile of the real Shuttle at , the main landing gear of the C-11A was lowered (the nose gear stayed retracted due to wind load constraints) and engine thrust was reversed. Its flaps could deflect upwards to decrease lift as well as downwards to increase lift.
Covers were placed on the left hand cockpit windows to provide the same view as from a Shuttle cockpit, and the left-hand pilot's seat was fitted with the same controls as a Shuttle. The STA's normal flight controls were moved to the right, where the instructor sat. Both seat positions had a
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
(HUD).
In a normal exercise, the pilot descended to at an airspeed of , from the landing target. The pilot then rolled the STA at , from landing. The nose of the aircraft was then dropped to increase speed to , descending at a 20-degree angle on the outer glide slope (OGS). The outer glide slope aiming point was short of the runway threshold, and used
PAPIs for visual guidance in addition to the MLS system. At the guidance system changed to pre-flare and shortly after, at , the pilot started the flare maneuver to gradually reduce the descent angle and transition to the inner glide slope (IGS) which was 1.5 degrees from onwards, using a "ball-bar" system for visual guidance. The shuttle landing gear release was simulated at above the ground, since the STA main gear remained down for the whole simulation. The nose gear of the STA was lowered at AGL in case of an inadvertent touchdown with the runway surface.
If the speed was correct, a green light on the instrument panel simulated shuttle landing when the pilot's eyes were above the runway. This was the exact position that the pilot's head would be in during an actual landing. In the exercise, the STA was still flying above the ground. The instructor pilot deselected the simulation mode, stowed the thrust reversers, and the instructor executed a ''go-around'', never actually landing the aircraft (on training approaches).
Avionics
A sophisticated computer system installed on board the STA simulated the flight dynamics of the orbiter with nearly perfect accuracy. The STA's highly realistic simulation of the orbiter was not limited to handling characteristics, but also implemented the shuttle control interfaces for the pilot.
An onboard computer called the Advanced Digital Avionics System (ADAS) controlled the Direct Lift Control (DLC) and the in-flight reverse thrust during Simulation Mode.
IIS Corp. Shuttle Training Aircraft
Every shuttle commander practiced at least 1,000 landings in this manner, as had each mission's shuttle pilot.
/ref>
List of aircraft
Four Gulfstream II aircraft constituted the now retired STA fleet, although other Gulfstream II aircraft, lacking STA capabilities, are still used by NASA for personnel transport purposes. Although the majority of the fleet had markings similar to those pictured above, paint schemes do vary slightly across aircraft.
On August 22, 2011, NASA announced that all four Shuttle Training Aircraft would be retired at various NASA facilities around the country, with N944 retiring at the Dryden Flight Research Center
The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical rese ...
.[Shuttle Training Aircraft to be Retired at NASA Dryden](_blank)
/ref>
The STA tail numbers were:
* NASA 944: N944NA (s/n 144)
* NASA 945: N945NA (s/n 118) — On July 13, 2017, a ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted and this aircraft is now in permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
* NASA 946: N946NA (s/n 146) — On September 21, 2011, this aircraft became a permanent display at the Texas Air & Space Museum
The Texas Air & Space Museum is an aviation museum located near Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Amarillo, Texas. The museum displays civilian and military aircraft, as well as a wide range of air and space artifacts.
History
In 19 ...
in Amarillo, Texas.[NASA Space Shuttle Trainer Retires In Amarillo](_blank)
/ref>[NASA aircraft flown by Rick Husband calls Amarillo 'home'](_blank)
/ref>
* NASA 947: N947NA (s/n 147) — Currently on permanent display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an aviation museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Its exhibits include the Hughes H-4 Hercules (''Spruce Goose'') and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spac ...
in McMinnville, Oregon.
See also
* Shuttle Mission Simulator
Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) was an umbrella term for three separate simulators for training Space Shuttle crews at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The simulators were the MBS (''Motion Base Simulator''), the FBS (''Fixed Base Simulator''), ...
* List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents
This article lists verifiable spaceflight-related accidents and incidents resulting in human fatality or near-fatality during flight or training for crewed space missions, and testing, assembly, preparation or flight of crewed and robotic space ...
References
External links
{{Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle program
1980s United States special-purpose aircraft
Gulfstream aircraft
NASA aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft related to spaceflight