Led by Commander Scott Kelly, the STS-118 crew completed a full dress rehearsal for launch on Thursday aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The simulated countdown at Launch Pad 39A concludes the terminal countdown demonstration test. Held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the test is a standard part of prelaunch training and allows the astronauts to try on their launch and entry suits, learn emergency procedures at the launch pad, and take part in a variety of familiarization activities and briefings.
With the test now successfully behind them, the seven astronauts will return to Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Space Shuttle Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39A early July 11, and the STS-118 payload — including the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3 — is secured inside the orbiter's payload bay. Launch is targeted for the evening of Aug. 7.
