Commander Dom Gorie, Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Bob Behnken, Mike Foreman, me bucko, Garrett Reisman and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi are lookin' t' rocket into orbit on March 11 aboard space shuttle Endeavour on t' STS123 mission. Aye aye! Before they can do that, though, they have t' practice. Aye aye! That's why they flew t' NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for intense launch trainin' on February 23 t' t' 25th. Begad! T' seven climbed into t' same orange suits they will wear on launch day and took a ride in t' Astrovan t' Launch Pad 39A. Avast! They crawled into Endeavour's hatch and took their places. Blimey! T' emphasis is on doin' t' same things they will do on t' real launch day, so technicians were on hand t' strap them in and remove equipment covers, just as they will for t' ride into orbit. T' session also included somethin' they hope doesn't happen on launch day: gettin' out o' t' space shuttle durin' a potential emergency. Well, blow me down! T' crew ran across t' deck and climbed inside baskets that would zip them t' safety in an unlikely real-life crisis. Crew members also practiced drivin' armored personnel carriers called M113s that would be called on in an emergency. Aye aye! T' astronauts looked over t' Kibo lab segment and Dextre as they stood inside Endeavour's cargo bay. For Gorie and Johnson, who will be at t' controls o' Endeavour durin' launch and landing, arrr, t' practice reached into t' skies above Kennedy. Begad! Both took turns pilotin' t' Shuttle Trainin' Aircraft along a steep ...