STS-129 Pilot Barry E. Wilmore prepares to practice driving an M113 armored personnel carrier.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Pilot Barry E. Wilmore prepares to practice driving an M113 armored personnel carrier.

The M113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency egress from the vicinity of the pad is needed. The crew members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission are at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16. For information on the STS-129 mission objectives and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett