KSC-05pd-0906

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Fixed Service Structure at Launch Pad 39B, the STS-114 crew gets instructions on using the slidewire basket, emergency egress equipment from the pad. Crew members seen here are (from left) Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas and Charles Camarda, Commander Eileen Collins, and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi and Wendy Lawrence. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is designated the first Return to Flight mission, with a launch window extending from July 13 to July 31.