NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-124 Astronauts Wrap Up Launch Rehearsal

Image above: STS-124 Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg (left) and Ron Garan prepare to depart NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the terminal countdown demonstration test. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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May 9
The seven-member STS-124 crew participated Friday in a launch dress rehearsal at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Part of the three-day terminal countdown demonstration test, the rehearsal called for the astronauts to be fully suited for liftoff as they simulated the final hours of the countdown. They concluded the event by practicing an emergency escape from Launch Pad 39A.

Friday afternoon, the astronauts returned to their home base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They'll report to Kennedy once again a few days before their launch aboard space shuttle Discovery, currently targeted for May 31.

The canister carrying the STS-124 payloads arrived at Launch Pad 39A on April 29 and Discovery rolled out on May 3. Primary payloads are the tour-bus-sized Japanese Experiment Module-Pressurized Module and the lab's robotic arm system.

STS-124 Mission Information
› STS-124 Mission Summary (524 Kb PDF)
› Meet the Crew

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