The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-84 will be at Kennedy Space Center early next week for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT).
The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight providing the crew of each mission opportunities to participate in simulated countdown activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the pad and has an opportunity to view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter's payload bay.
The seven-member crew of mission STS-84 is scheduled to arrive at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 27. No photo opportunity is scheduled for this event.
On Monday, April 28, news media representatives will have an opportunity to speak informally with and photograph the crew at Pad 39A. Media interested in participating in this question and answer session should be at the KSC Press Site by 9:30 a.m. Monday for transport to the pad. This event will be carried live on NASA TV.
On Tuesday, the crew will take part in simulated launch day events, including entering the orbiter Atlantis fully suited for the simulated main engine ignition and cut-off. Following TCDT, the crew is scheduled to depart KSC for their homes in Houston for final flight preparations.
Atlantis is now targeted for launch on May 15 at about 4:08 a.m. EDT. Mission STS-84 will feature the sixth docking of Atlantis to Russia's Mir space station. The mission is scheduled to last 10 days.
Crew members for mission STS-84 are: Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Eileen Collins; and Mission Specialists Jean-Francois Clervoy, Carlos Noriega, Edward Lu, Elena Kondakova and Michael Foale. Foale will remain on Mir and Mission Specialist Jerry Linenger, who has been on Mir since January, will return in his place.