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
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 |
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