Media Opportunities with STS-99 Crew Set for Next Week’s Countdown Test

KSC Contact: Bruce Buckingham

KSC Release No. 4-00

Note to Editors:

The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-99 will be at Kennedy Space Center next week for the Terminal Countdown
Demonstration Test (TCDT).

The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight, providing the crew of each mission an opportunity to
participate in simulated countdown activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a
simulated main engine cut-off. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the pad
and has an opportunity to view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter’s payload bay.

The six-member crew of mission STS-99 is scheduled to arrive at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) Tuesday,
Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. Media who wish to take part in this photo opportunity should be at the KSC Press Site by 3 p.m.
for transport to the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Another photo opportunity with the crew is available the next day, Wednesday, at 10:15 a.m. when the crew is
scheduled for training in the M113 armored personnel carrier. Media should report to the KSC Press Site at 9:30
a.m. for this event.

On Thursday, Jan. 13, news media representatives will have an opportunity to speak informally with and photograph
the crew at Pad 39A. Media interested in participating in this question and answer session should be at the KSC
Press Site by 12:30 p.m. Thursday for transport to the pad. This question and answer session will be a local media
event only. However, the session will be covered live on NASA TV at about 1:30 p.m.

Friday morning, the entire crew will take part in simulated launch day events. Media interested in covering the crew
walkout from the Operations and Checkout Building should be at the KSC Press Site by 6:45 a.m. Friday.

Once the crew is at the pad, they will enter the orbiter Endeavour fully suited for the final hours of the practice
countdown, including the simulated Shuttle main engine ignition and cut-off. Following TCDT, the crew is scheduled
to depart KSC for their homes in Houston for final flight preparations.

Endeavour on mission STS-99 is currently targeted for launch on Jan. 31 at 12:47 a.m. The flight is scheduled to last
11 days, 4 hours on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.

Crew members are: Commander Kevin Kregel; Pilot Dom Gorie; and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Janice
Voss, Mamoru Mohri of the Japanese Space Agency and Gerhard Thiele of the European Space Agency.