KSC-99pp0201

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the SPACEHAB Facility, STS-96 Mission Specialist Valery Tokarev of Russia (left) and Commander Kent Rominger (second from right) listen to Lynn Ashby (far right), with JSC, talking about the SPACEHAB equipment in front of them during a payload Interface Verification Test (IVT). In the background behind Tokarev is TTI interpreter Valentina Maydell. Other STS-96 crew members at KSC for the IVT are Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Dan Barry, Ellen Ochoa, Tamara Jernigan and Julie Payette. Mission STS-96 carries the SPACEHAB Logistics Double Module, which will have equipment to further outfit the International Space Station service module and equipment that can be off-loaded from the early U.S. assembly flights. It carries internal logistics and resupply cargo for station outfitting, plus an external Russian cargo crane to be mounted to the exterior of the Russian station segment and used to perform space walking maintenance activities. The double module stowage provides capacity of up to 10,000 lbs. with the ability to accommodate powered payloads, four external rooftop stowage locations, four double-rack locations (two powered), up to 61 bulkhead-mounted middeck locker locations, and floor storage for large unique items and Soft Stowage. STS-96 is targeted to launch May 20 about 9:32 a.m