KSC-05pd-0358

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Program managers, directors and engineers man the consoles in the Launch Control Center. They are taking part in an End-to-End (ETE) Mission Management Team (MMT) launch simulation at KSC. In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. Seated in the center is Bob Sieck, a member of the Stafford-Covey Shuttle Return to Flight Task Group; at his left is Forrest McCartney, former Kennedy Space Center director. Sieck served as launch director and director of Shuttle Processing in the 80s and 90s. The ETE MMT simulation included L-2 and L-1 day Prelaunch MMT meetings, an external tanking_weather briefing, and a launch countdown. The ETE transitioned to the Johnson Space Center for the flight portion of the simulation, with the STS-114 crew in a simulator at JSC. Such simulations are common before a launch to keep the Shuttle launch team sharp and ready for liftoff.