KSC-98pc593

The STS-91 flight crew poses for a group portrait in the white room on the Orbiter Access Arm at Launch Complex 39A during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight to provide crews with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. From left to right, they are (back row) Pilot Dominic Gorie; Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence and Mission Commander Charles Precourt; and (front row) Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency; and Janet Kavandi, Ph.D. STS-91 is scheduled to be launched on June 2 with a launch window opening around 6:10 p.m. EDT. The mission will feature the ninth Shuttle docking with the Russian Space Station Mir, the first Mir docking for Discovery, the conclusion of Phase I of the joint U.S.-Russian International Space Station Program, and the first flight of the new Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will be returning to Earth with the crew after living more than four months aboard Mir