Mission Specialist Stanley Love practices driving as the instructor behind him monitors his performance.

STS-122 Mission Specialist Stanley Love, at right, practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as the instructor behind him monitors his performance. Former astronaut Jerry Ross, chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at NASA Johnson Space Center, enjoys the ride in back. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett