BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — As the four Crew-2 astronauts prep to fly from Kennedy Space Center, many in the background are working toward a safe mission.

​In place, a team standing by and on their toes to jump into action if something happens to the crew or launch personnel.

"I'm in charge of making sure all the ground operations run smoothly," NASA Commercial Crew Launch Rescue Director Daniel Forrestal said.

You could call Forrestal the “conductor” as the crew heads to the pad.

"You see the astronauts walk out into the cul-de-sac, we have the whole convoy arranged, and the security moving down," he said.

But there's more work to be done. Forrestal then puts on the “rescue director” hat.

"We're there in case of a bad day," he said.

A team made up of fire rescue, doctors and triage personnel are on the ready to respond in case of an emergency. Forrestal said the reminder is the extreme case of the Apollo 1 fire, where the crew lost their lives on the launch pad.

The team is on standby to rescue the astronauts or close out crew from danger.

Practice makes perfect, and there is plenty of practice backing up the insurance policy.

"Had triage sites, and med-evacs and that whole system all set up, because day of, it's got to work, we've got to be ready," Forrestal said.

That team will be on the job launch day Thursday. Liftoff is set for 6:11 a.m.