Very Cool video Bob. A Flight Attendant I work with, whose Mother used to work at Ames Research, arranged for my Mom and I to fly the Space Shuttle Landing Simulator in a once in a lifetime thrill! My Mom was a W.A.S.P Pilot during WWII and taught me to fly. So, it was a public relations deal.
They drop you at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and you glide in. Needless to say this simulator is very state of the art and completely realistic. The flight display is very simple compared to what you may expect due to no engine gauges!
When you are dropped, the runway looks to be almost directly below due to the extreme angle. You look through a Heads Up Display (HUD) that is a clear panel with glideslope and localizer indicators, through which you also view outside the vehicle. You keep those needles lined up and the computer brings you right to the touchdown point. It does have a large transition and flare movement though. As long as you follow the needles, it works! On my second try, the computer said I blew a tire. On the third, I did it without the HUD and the computer told us I crashed. This simulator is so realistic that you feel the tires touch the runway as if they were really 60 feet aft. Fortunately, the crash mode is not so real!!