09. What things must a space crew check before launch and during flight? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

There are astronauts assigned to the Kennedy Space Center who do most of the crew-related pre-flight tests. These astronauts are given the amusing unofficial title of "Cape Crusaders" (as in Cape Canaveral, the original name of the Kennedy Space Center). Thus, the flight crew arrives just days before flight and boards the Shuttle shortly before launch. During flight the spacecraft systems are monitored by the Mission Control Center (MCC) and also by the flight crew. MCC has contact about 85 percent of the time which is much better than the early missions (Mercury through Apollo), during which contact was maintained for about 18 percent of an orbit. During flight the commander and pilot maintain a close watch over the spacecraft, and one specific check they perform before entry is a test of the flight control hydraulic system.

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Answer provided by Col. USAF (Ret.) William R. Pogue

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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