CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASCAR racer Matt DiBenedetto drives an instrument-laden Toyota down the three-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility runway. The operation was part Joe Gibbs Racing's program to test aerodynamic and real-world capabilities on one of the flattest surfaces in the world. Behind the car is the space shuttle's Mate-Demate Device. Racing teams have been using the runway for testing since 2008. Joe Gibbs Racing signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in May to use the facility's runway.

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Photo credit: © NASA/piemags / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: ., partnership