the payload on STS 83 is the
microgravity science laboratory a
pressurized module in Columbia's payload
Bay we're going to take a tour now of
the MSL 1 space lab my name is Sean
heckle and I'm the payload operations
engineer for sts 83 the microgravity
science laboratory we're standing inside
the orbiter processing facility and what
you see over my shoulder is the
microgravity science laboratory inside
the orbiters payload Bay microgravity
science laboratory weighs about ten tons
it's 23 feet long and about 13 feet in
diameter
it only takes up about 1/3 of the
orbiters payload Bay and the way the
astronauts get from the crew module into
the space lab module is they travel
through this long tunnel you see here
space shuttle Columbia on the pad was
the first in the shuttle fleet arrived
at KSC in March of 1979 and the first
launch was from pad a same pad as were
using today on April 12 1981 it deployed
the first satellite in the space shuttle
program on STS 5 and then flew the first
Spacelab mission on sts9 Columbia is
named after a small sailing vessel that
was based in Boston Harbor in 1792 and
another one of Columbia's claims is that
it brought back the long-duration
exposure facility from space after
almost
six years in space we see our commander
Jim Hall cell
and Jim Hall cell was phone previously
on STS 65 and STS 74 there's our pilot
Susan still second female pilot to fly
the space shuttle
graduate of embry-riddle Aeronautical
University locally Daytona Beach
Janice Voss our payload commander on
this mission she's logged more than 18
days in space this is her third space
shuttle flight having flown on STS 57
and STS 63 and mission specialist number
three or other payload specialist number
one I'm sorry Roger Crouch will be
responsible for much of the science
operations onboard the microgravity
space lab this is his first space
shuttle flight
my gern heart
mission specialist number two and also
our flight engineer for STS 83 here's
Greg Glen Terrace
you know specialist number two his first
light into space also responsible for
much of the science onboard the
microgravity science laboratory here's
Don Thomas once again mission specialist
number three we're standing by now to
come out of this to our built-in hold in
just a few moments coming out in four
three two one
we're now at t-minus three hours and
Counting
this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus two hours 58 minutes 30 seconds
and counting
and we see the STS 83 crew has just left
the suit-up room headed for the elevator
be heading down to the third floor to
the first floor board the astronaut then
for the 20-minute ride out to pad 39a
meanwhile out at the launch pad the
final inspection team has just reported
that their activities are complete and
they're leaving the pad and in just a
moment we should see the crew many KSC
employees and well-wishers waiting to
greet them as they come out of the
elevator
and here they come
a larger than usual contingent Chloe's
wishing them well this is shuttle launch
control at t-minus two hours 37 minutes
30 seconds in counting the astronauts
have arrived at the 195-foot level of
the fixed service structure where the
orbiter access arm is located and the
commander and pilot will walk across the
arm shortly to begin their boarding
while the other crew members await their
turn either out on the alarm or on the
fixed service structure and as we've
been able to tell their early enjoying
the very nice day out the pad to take
advantage of looking at space shuttle
Columbia being prepared in the last
hours here for flight to need a lot of
clear tennis good morning welcome aboard
all activities proceeding on schedule
were not working any issues whether it
continues to be cooperative at least at
this point in time at t minus 59 minutes
and Counting this is shuttle launch
control
okay this is really watch that
extract all stations verify later Brazil
count and go for launch
OTC so this is the copy TBC this is a go
collage PTC PTC is go LPS you took quite
agent why you go copy
Tyler I let go STM go
safety console safety console go ste
copy CDR LRD do you still alive
anybody start the main engine helium
purge sequence preparing for main engine
start activities
fill up the soca quick before and
now we'll be checking the flight
controls on the orbiter zero surface
profile test
vehicle will go to internal power at
about ten seconds
coming up on t minus three minutes 23
seconds were now killing three main
engines checking their steering
capability
next activity will be to pressurize the
liquid oxygen tank on the external tank
at t minus 2 minutes 55 seconds
and we'll start the retraction of the
jocks beanie cap dlp OTC episode of
credit caution warning memory abilify no
unexpected
topping off of the fuel cells being
terminated
Claire not I guess I companies like to
it will go to close and lock your visors
and make sure you don't keep flow and
enjoy your on orbit spring break
Roger that sir we'd like to say thanks
to everybody who has guts laughs yes
Ashley yeah let's go to LA to pursue
station pressurizing the hydrogen tank
on the external tank now
replenishing the liquid hydrogen tank
has been terminated
t-minus one minute 30 seconds
standing by now to arm the sound
suppression water system
t-minus one minute solid rocket booster
joint heaters being turned off final
check now the booster commands Locsin LH
to fill and drain valves are closed
payload bay vent doors are positioned
anybody hand off to Columbia's computers
and the handoff Haskin occurred
Columbia's computers now controlling 20
firing chain is our that was the
threshing water system activated
rain safety systems arm ignition
sequence start five four three two one
and liftoff of space shuttle Columbia
with the microgravity science laboratory
our research bridge to the space
benefits of tomorrow Roger roll Columbia
Houston is now controlling Colombia is
rolling on course Twitter 160 nautical
mile high a little bit to kinda clean
half degrees to our seat later
I'm the already traveling 300 miles per
hour these three engines throttle back
to two thirds throttle to prepare the
spacecraft capacity area of maximum air
pressure and go supersonic altitude now
two and a half miles one and a half
miles east of the launch pad Columbia is
traveling 650 miles per hour
one minute 55 seconds since liftoff my
controllers standing by next to a few
seconds for burnout and jettison of the
twin side rockets
booster officer confirms good separation
of the solid rocket s-- columbia
performance is nominal that call
indicating that Columbia's performance
as far as just as planned altitude now
34 miles Columbia is traveling 3,000
miles per hour 42 miles east to the
Kennedy Space Center six and a half
minutes since launch two minutes to cut
off of the main engines booster officer
confirms cut off of the main engines
Columbia we showed a nominal Miko almost
one is not required to have a go for the
photo dto got to go for the video
rolls commanded fill a gap Justin Sacher
roll Columbia status was good
three engines throttling 67 30 seconds
tape check at Mach 1 coming up for Mach
1 mark thanks to be about max dynamic
pressure looking for 1.3 30,000 feet
like 1.33 engines throttling 104 great
50,000 feet coming up on Monty got a go
at throttle up
seventy-five thousand feet ninety
seconds happy thank you my dad's getting
darker
they're often the SRBs Mike or Destin 50
it's pretty cool
Debbie well Wow that impressive or what
1 over 300 and never second it goes
converged
hey Ravi SRB yesterday that's why I'm
shut up we have 25 like in the ice yeah
I'll be standing by for my maneuver they
go for the DTO so no 40 seconds
and Columbia Houston yes Susan you ever
go to press that to push that circuit
breaker in
please to Colombia for tips activation
and good afternoon Roger good to see you
there and welcome to space lab Janice
great to be here much hi there's a lot
of space back here
this is Mission Control Houston we
continue to take live video through the
high PAC television system of the
mid-deck area of Columbia and view
astronauts Don Thomas and Greg Glenn
Terrace who are working some photo
documentation activities with one of the
protein crystal growth experiments
Columbia's currently approaching the
west coast of South America
we are live with you on TV see number
one and I want to ask you a question we
do see an image on the viewfinder above
TVC number two which we thought was in
operational can you confirm that you are
seeing an image or if the quality of the
image well you guys have good eyes to
pick that up we do have a good image up
there good quality image on TVC and
number two the monitor is there and when
I came back from lunch you know it just
an hour an hour and a half ago that
image is not there so somehow we got it
from self space therefore Express
Katrina mo - to the checkout of
experiment power is complete and
everything looks good unexpressed as you
know this is one of our premier
facilities that will be flying on space
station shortly in a few years here and
we'll have up to eight of these up on
board at any given time and this is the
first check out up of them and
everything that's looking great on it so
far we're really excited about flying
actually to the space station on our
shuttle flight
so I feel that step travel or that
Beaufort is complete okay we copy that
Greg and when you're ready I'll tell you
what you're going to be doing
igniters swung into position flame is
there we're way past the stood point on
one two
okay we're going down oh it looks like
the cloning is simply no no we still
can't find it it's still sitting and
we're at the minimum flow rate is we
almost made it one or two more clicks
and it would have been below the support
we have a blue region above the plant
it's very steady
hey pentalpha Greg he's happy with the
pressure he's in printed copy in
Colombia were two minutes to the l OS
we'll be back with you at 2154 and we'll
be off the tail until about 20 - oh it
lets go stay there for DG post Jeff
doesn't want to close the only option
under that old cursing is move okay
select sample and that should do it
and then select it
to get a chance with getaway
all right very good base level for
Janice
okay Janice clear that message put the
cursor over the word please and press
shift and the left mouse button that
will clear the message and then we're
working out a small procedure if you
didn't off nominal power down okay there
clear the message thanks and I'll stand
by just the information that
configuration you can see in the
downlink the igniters are out of a
needles at the dispense position for the
poi position and first step two of the
power down switch two and one are now
off so other three circuit breakers are
on the periodic package
the Magnificent checkout
one thing you can see if you look out
the right-hand side not passing directly
down
let's gonna start here language screen
what's around me - my altitude now
now the beach 65 miles and we're doing
18,000 miles an hour
yeah we're doing
stuff that I heard 27 on the past
okay
right
now
mm Claire
five hundred
forty to forty thirty to thirty five
twenty to thirty fifteen to twenty
five to five touchdown 195 shoot one
eighty five zero take half one one and a
half one and a half
breaking 7,000
that was smooth Jim right on the money
Weil stash
let me houston energy ground track and
never go that call from Mission Control
indicating that Columbia is right on
course
with its current speed and altitude and
ground track all run on target for
runway 33
this a view from the Kennedy Space
Center now showing Columbia as it
approaches Columbia's range to touchdown
now 68 miles actually a 30 38 miles
speed seven hundred and ninety miles per
hour
altitude 56,000 feet the vehicles been
at about one G for the past minute or so
as it flew basically a straight line to
hack intercept now as it rolls on to the
hack the G level will increase a little
bit would be about one but one and a
half G's to the D condition bodies of
the astronauts that one and a half G's
feels more like around three or four G's
had they been in condition Columbia is
now performing a right overhead turn to
align with the runway with 150 degrees
left to go in that turn
Lumbees altitude
19500 feet speed 425 miles per 90
you can access our reports landing gear
is down and locked main gear touchdown
a drag chute deployed
that is gear touchdown
well that Colombia welcome home you're
landing in the orbit look great
no post-landing deltas how did that
thank you
convoy vehicles are now moving in toward
Colombia
Chloe Houston we will be performing the
hydraulic load test