KSC-99pp0204

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the SPACEHAB Facility, James Behling, with Boeing, talks about equipment for mission STS-96 during a payload Interface Verification Test (IVT). Watching are (from left) Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Julie Payette and Dan Berry, and Pilot Rick Husband. Other STS-96 crew members at KSC for the IVT are Commander Kent Rominger and Mission Specialists Tamara Jernigan and Valery Tokarev of Russia. 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