Discovery Crew in Full Dress Rehearsal

Dressed in their orange launch and entry suits, the crew members of Return to Flight mission STS-114 boarded the silver "Astrovan" and traveled to Launch Pad 39B for a countdown dress rehearsal on May 4. They spent the morning performing countdown tasks from their seats inside Discovery, while the Kennedy Space Center launch team did the same from their stations in the Launch Control Center.

"We had a very successful test," said Commander Eileen Collins at the conclusion of the day's activities. "It felt to me like it was a real launch day, the way people were talking and handling issues as they came up."

The practice countdown capped the week's Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, in which flight crew members went through launch pad safety training and other prelaunch activities. The three-day test takes place before each Space Shuttle launch.

Source: NASA