KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the slidewire basket landing area at Launch Pad 39B, STS-116 Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang is ready for the leap to the ground to practice exiting the basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter. Other crew members waiting their turn are Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham and Pilot William Oefelein (partially hidden). 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
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date November 15, 2006