CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 Mission Specialist Steve Swanson drives the M-113 armored personnel carrier used for emergency escape, if needed, from the launch pad. Next to Phillips is astronaut rescue team leader Capt. George Hoggard. Behind Hoggard is Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata, who represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The crew members are at Kennedy for prelaunch preparation known as terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. The training provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. The crew of space shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-1208
