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Endeavour crew boards the spacecraft for rehearsal
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: January 21, 2010


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Dressed in their bright orange spacesuits and following the scripted launch morning routine, the six astronauts who will blast off aboard Endeavour next month went to the launch pad and climbed inside the shuttle today for a realistic dry run.


Members of the crew exit Endeavour after the countdown. Credit: NASA TV
 
Commander George Zamka, pilot Terry Virts and mission specialists Kay Hire, Steve Robinson, Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick wrapped up the countdown simulation in preparation for the February 7 launch to the International Space Station.

The mock countdown culminated several days of emergency skills training and practicing for the real launch that's coming up in a few weeks.

The Astrovan delivered the astronauts to the seaside pad around 8 a.m. EST to begin entering the orbiter and taking their assigned seats just like the actual countdown.

Clocks ticked down to T-minus 4 seconds before ending with a mock abort at 11:05 a.m. EST. The final count also practiced holds at the intermediate way points of T-minus 5 minutes and T-minus 1 minute, 57 seconds.

The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test concluded with the astronauts exiting the shuttle to rehearse emergency evacuation procedures and hopping in the escape baskets hanging on the launch tower.

Still to come during the visit, the crew will stop by the pad's cleanroom for a close inspection of the mission payloads. The Tranquility module and attached cupola for the International Space Station were installed into Endeavour's cargo bay on Wednesday.

They will fly back to Houston on Friday morning to finish final training there.

The two-week orbital voyage is the first of five shuttle missions planned this year before the venerable spaceplanes are retired from service. Robinson said the crew isn't dwelling on the program's ending, but surely will reflect after they return from space.

"We're thinking about STS-130 every minute of every day. But it occurs to me that when we come back, the reality of what this year really means to the space shuttle program is going to set in. And it's bittersweet. We all love the shuttle -- look at that grand thing, look at what human beings can do.

"But the history of space travel has shown that when one program ends the next program is even more exciting, more motivating, more compelling to go into the future than the one before it. We don't exactly know what's going to happen after the shuttle, but we do believe that's going to be the case."

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VIDEO: SHUTTLE EVACUATION PRACTICE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS BOARD ENDEAVOUR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: THE LAUNCH DAY SIMULATION BEGINS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAD BUNKER TRAINING FOR THE CREW PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW BRIEFED ON EMERGENCY PROCEDURES PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TEST-DRIVING AN EMERGENCY ARMORED TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: NIGHTTIME APPROACHES IN TRAINING AIRCRAFT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS CHAT WITH REPORTERS AT PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER UPDATES COOLING HOSE FIX PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROBINSON'S THOUGHTS ON SHUTTLE RETIREMENT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE FOR PRACTICE COUNTDOWN PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: TRANQUILITY DELIVERED TO PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAYLOAD TRANSPORTER GOES UPRIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PACKING UP PAYLOAD FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR'S FRIGID ROLLOUT TO PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR HOISTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CRANE ROTATES THE ORBITER VERTICALLY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE SHOWS ENDEAVOUR ASCENDING IN VAB PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE SHOWS THE MOVE TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY

VIDEO: ORBITER READY TO LEAVE HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK ATTACHED TO BOOSTERS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR'S MAIN ENGINE INSTALLATION PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS VISIT THEIR SPACECRAFT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW INSPECTS MISSION PAYLOADS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FUEL TANK UNLOADED FROM THE BARGE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK ARRIVES AT SPACEPORT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FORWARD THRUSTER POD CHECKED OUT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR TOWED OFF RUNWAY FROM STS-127 PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: TRANQUILITY HATCH SEALED FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CUPOLA ATTACHED TO TRANQUILITY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: THE SPACE STATION'S NEW CUPOLA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TRANQUILITY UNPACKED IN FLORIDA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: NEW MODULE ARRIVES FROM EUROPE PLAY | HI-DEF
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