PREFLIGHT (DEPARTURE) - STS-7 - ELLINGTON AFB (EAFB), TX

S83-34151 (15 June 1983) --- Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, takes one last look at familiar training environs before taking off from NASA’s Houston facility in a T-38 jet aircraft, destination: Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). After a few days of preparation at KSC, Dr. Ride and four other astronauts will be the first NASA five-member crew to fly in space as they liftoff in the Challenger from Launch Pad 39A. The mission specialist is positioned in the rear station of the jet, piloted by astronaut Robert L. Crippen, STS-7 commander. The T-38 fleet is kept at Ellington Base near the Johnson Space Center (JSC).