KSC-00pp1138

An M113, a small armored personnel carrier, makes tracks down the road with STS-106 Mission Specialist Richard A. Mastracchio (right) at the wheel and Capt. George Hoggard, trainer with the KSC Fire Department, on top (in front). Mission Specialist Edward T. Lu rides behind (far left). The carrier is part of emergency egress training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The TCDT also provides simulated countdown exercises and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiter’s payload bay. STS-106 is scheduled to launch Sept. 8, 2000, at 8:31 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. On the 11-day mission, the seven-member crew will perform support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and prepare the living quarters in the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module. The first long-duration crew, dubbed “Expedition One,” is due to arrive at the Station in late fall