Léopold Eyharts and the STS-122 crew during the practice countdown at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida

European astronaut Léopold Eyharts, from France, and crewmembers of the STS-122 shuttle mission, wearing Advanced Crew Escape Suits (ACES), leave for the shuttle launch pad during final training at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in November 2007, in preparation for the STS-122 space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

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 familiarisation, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-122 will deliver European Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.