5 in Shuttle Crew to Take Part in Countdown Test
Five astronauts who flew aboard the shuttle Columbia in January will participate in a practice countdown aboard the shuttle Atlantis next month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Friday.
Seven rookie astronauts also will take part in two days of emergency escape drills to practice procedures that would be required in the event of a pre-launch emergency.
Atlantis was taken to launch pad 39B last week for seven weeks of tests. It is the first time a shuttle has been on a launch pad since the Jan. 28 Challenger explosion.
Help Keep Proficiency
Commander Robert L. Gibson, co-pilot Charles F. Bolden and mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Steven A. Hawley and George D. Nelson will board Atlantis in late November for a practice countdown to help keep launch teams proficient during the delay before the resumption of shuttle flights in February, 1988.
Gibson’s crew, which included Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), blasted off aboard Columbia on Jan. 12.
Frank L. Culbertson, Stephen S. Oswald, Carl J. Meade, Kathryn C. Thornton, G. David Low, Pierre J. Thuot and Jerome Apt will practice emergency escape drills with fire and rescue personnel. None has flown into space.
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