![]() Crew members use a laser gun to track the vehicles' speeds. Credit: NASAĪs the Shuttle pilot slowly closes in on the ISS docking target, the crewmember in charge of rendezvous systems reads off a checklist of actions to take and instruments to monitor, in the proper sequence. Image to left: The program used to simulate docking procedures is quite similar to commercial video games. ![]() When you're guiding a 200,000-pound object moving at more than 17,000 miles per hour toward a seven-story structure orbiting 220 miles above the Earth, 3 inches leaves no room for mistakes. When Space Shuttle pilots dock their craft to the ISS, their accuracy has to be precise, within 3 inches. If an astronaut makes a mistake, there's no reset button to start the process again. However, docking the Shuttle with the ISS is no game. Just as countless children have assured their doubting parents, hand-eye coordination, transferring mental images to a monitor screen, following the proper maneuver sequences with team members, and the ability to track several functions simultaneously actually do have real-life payoffs. ![]() Image to right: When the Space Shuttle docks to the International Space Station, people and supplies can flow freely back and forth. However, the program used by astronauts is more sophisticated and complex than a game you might play at home, but the skills it requires are quite similar. The training simulator astronauts use to learn docking skills is found in many American homes a video game console. The skills astronauts need to dock the Space Shuttle with the International Space Station (ISS) may be more familiar to school students than adults.
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