The first class I had on Monday was a three hour one on entry navigation. The purpose of this class was to teach us what navigation equipment is used when by the Shuttle while it is dropping out of the sky and making its way towards the runway. As I am sure you realize, there in only one chance for the Shuttle to land, so it had better be heading towards the right runway at the right speed and right altitude. The Shuttle's ability to land successfully is bolstered by a wide variety of navigation equipment and software.

For those that are curious, the Shuttle begins its entry navigation using a software model to estimate its altitude. The software uses the measured drag on the vehicle. The drag is measured by three inertial measurement units which can sense the deceleration of the Shuttle due to the increased atmospheric drag. The amount of drag indicates roughly at what altitude the Shuttle is. As the Shuttle gets lower in the atmosphere, three TACAN units on the Shuttle will lock onto a signal from TACAN equipment at the landing site. This happens when Shuttle is roughly 180,000 feet in altitude and traveling at a speed of about Mach 12. I don't recall how far you are from the runway, but you are about 13 minutes from landing when the TACANs kick in. The crew and the ground evaluate the TACAN data, and if it is deemed acceptable, the crew tells the navigation software to start using said data. The TACANs can tell you how far you are from the ground equipment and how many degrees you are off from lining up with the runway. TACANs cannot tell you your altitude, so the software model of altitude based on drag is still used at this time.

When you are at about 120,000 feet/Mach 5 (about eight and a half minutes from landing), the crew deploys some probes which measure, among other things, the pressure of the atmosphere. The pressure measurements give a very good indication of the current altitude, so when this data is deemed acceptable, the navigation software is told begin using this information rather than the modeled attitude. Next at about 18,000 feet/below Mach 1 (about two minutes and 10 miles from landing) the microwave landing system equipment starts to provide information. This system is much more accurate than the TACANs or the probes. It can tell you all three pieces of needed information - your altitude, your range to the runway, and whether or not you are lined up. So the Shuttle's software now uses this information rather than the TACAN and probe data. The microwave system is what ultimately guides you down to the runway.

After a lunch break, I had a single systems training class on the mechanical systems of the Shuttle. In this class we exercised the basic procedures for all the mechanical items - opened and closed the payload by doors, deployed and stowed the Ku band antenna, opened and closed various vent doors, deployed the landing gear, etc.

Tuesday morning we had non-technical class, which was a nice break. This class was on what NASA calls space flight resource management. This is NASA's version of cockpit resource management for the Shuttle. We talked about the various aspects of command, leadership, communication, workload management, situational awareness, and decision making as they apply to Shuttle crews and Shuttle flights. I had Russian lesson in the afternoon which was followed by a single systems training class on the environmental control and life support systems. We were acquainted with multitude of switches and circuit breakers associated with the life support systems and executed the basic procedures performed during the launch and initial reconfigurations phases of flight. Next week, we will have a second training session which will cover the on-orbit procedures, the reconfigurations in preparation for landing, and entry phases of flight.

My Wednesday was pretty much spent in a cockpit the entire day - first in a T-38 and later in the Shuttle mission simulator. My T-38 flight was interesting. I was your basic baggage as I was with a pilot who was practicing for a proficiency check ride. The pilots have a proficiency check about every six months. During these check rides, the pilots are expected to take care of everything as if they were the only one in the plane, i.e., they handle all the flying, the communications, and navigation. To prepare for their checks, the pilots usually do a practice run the day before. You may wonder why I would do a flight in which I would not be allowed to exercise any of my job tasks. Well, I took the flight since I figured it would be a good learning experience for me. I would be able to see how the pilot worked with the comm and nav systems. Plus, I get to log the hour. . .

The weather today was not the best so we were flying IFR most of the time. That made for a very busy flight for the pilot. Many times I wanted to jump in and help - offer to talk to the tower while he was simulating a single engine landing while, at the same time, flying down to the minimums before breaking out of the clouds. I know I have said it before, but it is impressive to watch the pilots work.

I was able to participate a whole lot more during my cockpit time in the afternoon. One of my classmates and I had an approach and landing session in the Shuttle mission simulator. This simulator is the full blown simulator that runs the real flight software. We were paired up with a flown Shuttle pilot who was there to show us the ropes on what information to watch during a landing, as well as what to say when, and how the crew interacts during the final phase of a flight. For the initial runs, the pilot acted as the commander and we got to play all the other crewmember roles. After we did a few approaches that way, the two of us got to take the Shuttle for a spin. I got to land the Shuttle several times, first under ideal conditions and then with some weather thrown in. Not to brag, but I think I did a pretty good job at getting the Shuttle on the runway. Plus I remembered to deploy the landing gear each time. Those pilots better watch out, I might give them a run for their money. . .

I did no training on Thursday and Friday as I was with my family. The classes and simulator sessions that I missed will be made up in the coming weeks.