The seven astronauts who will launch on Discovery this Thursday have arrived at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA reports:
Crew Arrives at Kennedy for STS-116 Launch
The STS-116 crew arrived today at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they’ll begin final preparations for launch on Dec. 7. Flying T-38 trainer jets, the astronauts touched down on the Shuttle Landing Facility at about 4 p.m. EST.
“To finally come back as an astronaut and get to fly the vehicle I used to work on is just beyond words,” said Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham, who began her space career as an engineer at Kennedy. “I’m not going to wipe this grin off my face until Dec. 19, when we land.”
The countdown to launch is set to begin Monday at 11 p.m., starting at the T-43 hour mark.
The launch window for the STS-116 mission extends through Dec. 17. Primary payloads on the 12-day mission are the P5 integrated truss segment, SPACEHAB single logistics module and an integrated cargo carrier. This will be the 20th flight to the station.
STS-116 Resources
+ STS-116 TV Schedule
+ View Certificate of Flight Readiness
+ STS-116 Interactive Timeline