KSC-2010-2008

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-131 Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. takes his instructor, Battalion Chief David Seymour, at left, for a ride in an M-113 armored personnel carrier during driving practice. Also along for the ride is astronaut Jerry Ross, chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at the Johnson Space Center. An M-113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency egress from the vicinity of the pad is needed. The crew members of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission are at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with resupply stowage platforms and racks, to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. Targeted for launch on April 5, STS-131 will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. For information on the STS-131 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts131_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett