Endeavour Brings Kibo To The ISS

The next major milestone for STS-123 is the arrival of the astronauts at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Saturday, for the terminal countdown demonstrations test or TCDT, which is a launch dress rehearsal to prepare for the upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

The crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

Endeavour's flight crew includes Commander Dominic Gorie, Pilot Gregory Johnson and Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Robert Behnken, Mike Foreman, Garrett Reisman and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's, Takao Doi.

Reisman will join Expedition 16 as flight engineer on station replacing European Space Agency's Leopold Eyharts who will return with the STS-123 astronauts.

Space Shuttle Mission STS-123

Orbiter: Endeavour
Mission: STS-123/1J/A
Primary Payload: Kibo Logistics Module, Dextre Robotics System
Launch Date: March 11, 2008 (Targeted for)
Launch Time: 2:31 a.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39A
Mission Duration: 16 days
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Space shuttle Endeavour is poised for liftoff and ready for the next flight to the International Space Station.

On Feb. 23-25 the STS-123 mission astronauts will fly in to Kennedy Space Center to participate in a full launch dress rehearsal known as the terminal countdown demontration test, or TCDT.

Sources : http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html