Crew Due Today for Practice Countdown

The astronauts who will fly Discovery to the International Space Station will fly to NASA's Kennedy Space Center today for several days of training that includes a complete launch rehearsal. Commander Rick "C.J." Sturckow, Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas, Christer Fuglesang and Nicole Stott are due at Kennedy later this morning in T-38 training jets. Soon after arriving, they are to train in the M113 emergency evacuation vehicles. Later, Sturckow and Ford will fly simulated shuttle landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. Discovery is being prepped at Launch Pad 39A for its part during Friday's countdown rehearsal, when the astronauts will be strapped in while they and the launch teams at Kennedy and Mission Control practice the complex choreography of liftoff.