KSC-06pd2530

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 crew members wait for a practice ride in the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The mission crew is at KSC for terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT) activities that are preparation for launch. On the left are Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang and Joan Higginbotham, and Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. Not pictured are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot William Oefelein and Mission Specialists Sunita Williams and Robert Curbeam. 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