KSC-98pc132

The crew of the STS-89 mission, scheduled for launch Jan. 22 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), participated in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) at KSC. Simulating the walk-out from the Operations and Checkout Building before entering a van to take them to the launch pad are (front to back, left to right) Pilot Joe Edwards Jr.; Commander Terrence Wilcutt; and Mission Specialists Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D., Michael Anderson, Salizhan Sharipov of the Russian Space Agency, Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., and James Reilly, Ph.D. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight to provide the crew of each mission with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cut-off. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the pad and has an opportunity to view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter's payload bay