Astronaut Karol "Bo" Bobko, sitting next to me in the co-pilot's seat, says cooly, "Push on the right pedal to get it back on center."

I hit the pedal and the Shuttle moves back toward the center of the runway, but I shoot past that and hit the opposite pedal to steer left again. Slowly the spacecraft comes under control and rolls to a stop as I await a line of NASA vehicles and TV crews to descend on the Shuttle and capture my triumphant return to Earth.

But they don't arrive. Instead, the screen in front of me flickers and we're making another approach, this time to Halifax Airport through low cloud cover.

The simulator here at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View doesn't get used much for Shuttle practice these days. When Atlantis landed on July 8, 2011, it put to a close one of the most successful and high-profile programs in NASA history.

Today, however, is different. The simulator is getting a workout as Bobko is giving a handful of reporters a chance to land the Space Shuttle. (.)