On 3 December 2006, the STS-116 crew arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they'll begin final preparations for launch on 7 December. Flying T-38 trainer jets, the astronauts touched down on the Shuttle Landing Facility at about 16:00 local time.

From left are Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham; Pilot William Oefelein; Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam, Christer Fuglesang representing the European Space Agency, Nicholas Patrick, and Sunita Williams joining Expedition 14 in progress on the International Space Station; and Commander Mark Polansky.