KSC-06pd2527

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 crew gets instructions on use of the M-113 armored personnel carrier from Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. The crew members, clockwise from left, are Commander Mark Polansky, Mission Specialist Robert Curbeam, Pilot William Oefelein and Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang, Sunita Williams and Joan Higginbotham. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The mission crew is at KSC for terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT) activities that are preparation for launch. The M-113 could be used to move the crew quickly away from the launch pad in the event of an emergency. The STS-116 mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett