|Docking With Precision|| The skills astronauts need to dock the
Space Shuttle with the International Space Station (ISS) may be
more familiar to school students than adults.| The training
simulator astronauts use to learn docking skills is found in
many American homes; a video game console. 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. Image to right: When the Space Shuttle docks to the
International Space Station, people and supplies can flow freely
back and forth. Credit: NASA 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. However, docking the Shuttle with the ISS is no
game. If an astronaut makes a mistake, there's no reset button
to start the process again. Wh