ATLANTIS—Dress Rehearsal Time

September 23, 2008—The last astronaut crew set to visit the Hubble Space Telescope has some routine tasks to practice at the Kennedy Space Center before they suit up for October’s planned liftoff.

NASA likes to throw around lots of jargon—it’s in their blood. One example that takes place this week is the TCDT, or terminal countdown demonstration test. It’s when the astronauts suit up and squeeze inside the Space Shuttle for a practice countdown. One veteran crewmember once commented that this is often the first time a rookie astronaut has been inside the Shuttle. The rest of the time is spent in simulators in Houston. Before tomorrow’s fake countdown, there are more mundate tasks. The crew drives around in the armored personnel tank, pictured here, that can carry them away from the launch pad in an emergency. Pad workers also ignite a barrel of fuel so the astronauts can put it out with extinguishers.

On the book front, I just heard from my publisher that “Final Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program” goes into paperback this Spring. If you’d like a hardbound version, they’ll be available at bookstores, and on the web through the holiday season.

More to come…

Photo courtesy of NASA