Air Force fire/rescue crew enter the space shuttle cabin mockup hatch to evacuate the shuttle crew during a shuttle rescue training exercise at Edwards AFB

Clad in thermal protection suits, fire-rescue crews strap a stand-in "astronaut" into a litter during a Space Shuttle rescue training exercise at Edwards AFB

A volunteer "astronaut" starts down an exit slide from a Space Shuttle crew compartment mockup during a rescue and recovery training exercise

A long string of specialized NASA vehicles convoys down a taxiway at Edwards Air Force Base to begin a Space Shuttle rescue and recovery training exercise

Technicians Ray Smith and Raphael Rodriguez remove one of the Extravehicular Mobility Units from the Space Shuttle Discovery after its landing at NASA Dryden

Workers position the tail cone on the Space Shuttle Discovery in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Technicians Todd Viddle, Robert Garrett and Dan McGrath remove a servicing unit from the Space Shuttle Discovery during its post-flight processing at NASA DFRC

Technicians attach the tail cone to the Space Shuttle Discovery in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Technician Mark Shimei works inside Space Shuttle Endeavour's flight deck during deservicing operations at NASA Dryden following its landing on Nov. 30, 2008