this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus three hours and holding and we
have our first look of our commander
Michael Baker as he is being suited up
for his fourth flight into space today
crew members are being assisted with
their launch and entry suits by suit
technicians pilot Brent jet of course
giving thumbs-up he's ready to make his
second flight into space
he last flew as a pilot aboard STS 72
jerry linenger is going to be going into
space this on his second trip but it
will certainly be as longest he'll be
staying on the MIR Space Station for
about four months until Atlantis goes
back to pick him up in the spring of
this year mission specialist Jeff Weiss
off preparing for his third flight Jeff
last flew on missions STS 57 and 68
mission specialist John Grunsfeld making
his second flight into space today John
became an astronaut in 1992 and flew for
17 days on a mission STS 67 the longest
space shuttle mission to date at that
time yeah that record has since been
broken and the last member of the crew
is mission specialist Marsha Ivins
have about 30 seconds remaining in our
hold before we pick up the count at
t-minus three hours
again everything continues to go
according to plan operations at the pad
with the shuttle Atlantis so proceeding
smoothly and the astronauts are
preparing to leave their crew quarters
on time in just a few minutes and we're
at t-minus 3 hours and Counting at
t-minus 3 hours and Counting this is
shuttle launch control
and we're seeing
pictures of the crew is they're walking
down the hall on the third floor of the
operations and check-out building
getting into the elevator
astronaut Dave leasman is joining them
you'll be overseeing the astronaut
operations today and outside the
operations to check-out building
crew is being led by commander michael
Baker pilot Brent Jett mission
specialist Jerry Linenger John Grunsfeld
chef-y saw
this view from the 195-foot level of the
elevator opening we expect the crew to
be stepping out and then to the top of
the picture is the entry to the orbiter
access arm
now the crew is at the pad of course
engineers continuing their operations
they're verifying that the external tank
is properly topped off to its proper
levels and they're verifying that the
water spray system which empties about
300,000 gallons of water on to the pad
just seconds before liftoff verifying
that that water spray system is is
operational and our first view of the
white rim closeout crew members of
course have been on station for the past
two and a half hours or so making ready
the orbiter and the white room for the
crews arrival
CTLs do you want to be activated
momentarily and may cause renunciation
of messages and marshes in her seat JSC
soup technician from the United Space
Alliance or USA max Candler will assist
her for the next several minutes says
she gets strapped in meanwhile back in
the white room our pilot Brent Jett is
going to be the next end of the vehicle
and he'll be taking his seat next to
Commander Mike Baker
and the orbiter access arm and is now
being retracted away from the vehicle
this is the walkway used by the crew to
gain entry into and out of the vehicle
and it can be returned to position
within seconds if need be
as the access arm continues to be
retracted we're at t-minus seven minutes
and Counting
and the three main engines are being
gimballed as a final test before launch
your protest conductor has requested
that pilot print jet clear the caution
and warning memory system everything
looks good and we're cleared for launch
today no problems are being reported
from the vehicle or the crew
so these we thought the mornings I don't
know that's affected by 2 t minus 1
minute 45 seconds and counting
what better 30 foot and all systems are
go
special Atlantis is about 90 seconds
from beginning its 10-day mission to
dock with the near Space Station
t-minus one minute 15 seconds
what that at t-minus one minute and
Counting
everything is still looking good for
launch of the shuttle Atlantis from
Kennedy Space Center in Florida t-minus
50 seconds and we're transferring to
orbit our internal power at this time
Atlantis is now running off of its three
onboard fuel cells coming up on a go for
autosequence start
and we have a go for autosequence start
Atlantis's onboard computers have
primary control of all the vehicles
critical functions t-minus 20 seconds
t-minus 15
12 - -10 8 we have a go for main engine
start main engines up and running
3 2 1 booster ignition and liftoff of
the space shuttle Atlantis on a Tuesday
mission for dr. Rush's orbiting helpless
Houston now controlling the flight of
Atlantis Atlantis into the world to
place the shuttle and ahead to down
wings level position for the eight nine
happen
thirty seconds into the flight Atlantis
mystery liquid fuel main engines now
throttling back in a three-step fashion
to sixty-seven percent of rated
performance that will dampen the stress
on the shuttles Aero surfaces as it
breaks through the sound barrier
one minute into the flight the main
engines now beginning to rev up the full
throttle 104 percent of rated
performance they throttle up call coming
up from spacecraft communicator Kevin
Kregel here in Mission Control - look
one minute twenty seconds into the
flight Atlantis traveling at 1500 miles
per hour now ten miles downrange from
the Kennedy Space Center 13 miles in
altitude the shuttles three main engines
three auxiliary power units three power
producing fuel cells all functioning
normally
one minute 50 seconds into the flight
standing by for solid rocket booster
shut down in jettison that command to
come from the on-board computers through
the master events controller onboard
Atlantis
booster officer confirms a clean solid
rocket booster separation guidance now
converging on Atlantis's three main
engines as they begin to steer for a
precise keyhole in space for main engine
cutoff - - engine Marone those calls
from spacecraft communicator Kevin
Kregel to Commander Mike Baker aboard
Atlantis indicating that the solid
rocket boosters provided the desired
performance during the first stage of
this morning's ascend to orbit and if
one and if one main engine should fail
Atlantis has enough inertia to make a
transoceanic abort - Marone spain
however all three main engines continue
to function by the book three minutes
into the flight
Marsha you have a gold for the CWC
number two it's silver biocide only no
samples as listed in the timeline and
any any bubbles you see let us know okay
I'm just looking at this big boy here
and and it looks like it's all water in
there so I think we're doing okay do you
want me to cut the laces on the next bag
off
Marja no need to respond we're with you
there in the mid-deck yes we'd like you
to cut the laces on the second one and
see if they say any bubbles
probably the only way to get out
Seba DC cables
maybe just come out on your side so that
we can then route them over the top
tygris
John looks like the footswitch is
working well like a term for a simian
like me
this habit Lenox for by Iraq Isis I'm
nine green systems on my mark three two
one mark
Lee company
three feet point oh eight three feet
point one
dropping the point oh you're good you're
good bait 109
capture light capture lizzie free drift
I've got a flashing wing aligned on and
off rocks I've got bring a line odd okay
they've settled fifty fifty fifty PCT is
often like a full power damping is on no
we gotta wait until we let the up it's
off no I'm counting okay that's fine
we have nice job
Lanice Houston if you keep key in that
mic we love the sound if we could
request someone to push and hold the
battery power speaker mic button so we
can hear what's going on
I'm trying to catch up the jab looks
like we made it to the node and I'm
tending and up and down I modules they
all look great I'm trying to look all
around Jeff is turning into bass back
let's see the US flag flying and looks
like they really prepare things for us
Larry up ahead fakes already made it in
I think John blahs bringing up the rear
so that everyone doesn't navigate make a
wrong turn early on here
thank you Michael thank you
mayor Atlantis Houston we're in the
process of enabling air-to-ground to to
Moscow that should be accomplished here
in a few minutes
we're crossing an international boundary
on the US side now
and now we're on the Russian Mir Space
Station
their orbiter right
I'll switch orientations to make you
more comfortable
Jeff is currently holding a water bag
we're filling lots of these water bags
from the Mira crew members
the urban or docking system will be
moving into the crystal module
all of these air ducts you see provide
fresh air throughout the modules this is
one of the patches and used also as a
vacuum system for the Russians it's
similar to the one that we use when we
doubt
feel like I'm exploring a cave
Brenda crystal module now
equipment stored on all sides
doing another orientation change
floor becomes the ceiling the ceiling
the floor
and the right is the greenhouse
experiment John Bois has been growing
weed in there as to Shannon lucid
and we're coming up to the central node
the hubba with their space station and
this is where navigation gets
particularly tricky I think our first
stop will be in the base block the base
block is sort of the center of
operations for the family room up there
he's going to go into the central node
and if you can find it he's going to
head over to perotta
that's somebody find it he's looking a
little confused but I think you'll
eventually sort it out
where is it
and do it's one
okay here we are entering product
and help with the orientation
turning around
okay and here is the module where we
brought all of our transfer items you
can see them stacked up underneath gun
lots of bags in the foreground here you
can see a piece of the gyrodyne big
large globe like structure that we
transferred over
see also a glove box here in the
foreground now John's making his way
back further into the module
anouk we arrived and he's found one of
the radioactive samples that we
transferred for an experiment
he's looking anxious to get away from
the radioactive sample that he was
sitting on so he's going to
floating past us here
Larry say hello to all right that's okay
that's good we returning to the baseball
go back to face block okay now we're
going to return to the base spot
John
finish
fascist
sasha is inside thanks mark
yeah we're turning around
thank you
and now John's
if you get the radio
and this time we'll turn right once we
have each other
or any version of space shuttle Atlantis
they were they
into the cavernous space hell
Mike Baker and mark items
you know storage
storage rat
the file rack where Jeff and I have been
working
our workspace
Lesly refrigerator/freezer
all of our samples
there's the photo box
but
after she was a doctrine that Arjuna
Stanton yeah that's Patania more iike
taj yes listen just to deepen the bad
he said less go ahead I'll call you
later
Lana Houston Moscow reports Mir is in
attitude Roger report awesome thank you
again this view from long-range tracking
cameras at the Kennedy Space Center
planets you stand on energy approaching
facts
weather looks really good down here in
Florida Windsor or one 5:05 peak to
eight and you go for a nominal shoot
deploy I have to copy that
a morning wake-up call for the residents
of Central Florida as commander Mike
Baker takes over manual control of the
flying of Atlantis he is initiating an
overhead turn of 190 degrees around the
heading alignment cylinder to align
Atlantis with runway 3/3
- on at the 180 halfway around halfway
around the heading alignment circle
everything looking good for Atlantis as
the Morning Sun gleams off of its uh
belly
commander Mike Baker should see the
runway in sight
hey that's a cue sir copy your runway in
sight
Mike Baker preparing to flare-up
Atlantis's nose
Brent shut the pilot now deploying the
landing gear landing gear down and
locked
main gear touchdown jet now deploying
the drag chute Baker rotating the nose
gear down to the deck nose gear
touchdown
Atlantis now rolling out on runway 33 at
the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up its
mission bringing astronaut John Blaha
home after four months in orbit on the
Russian space station Mir
with that Tuffy you will stop Atlantis
welcome back after a super mission
fabulous way to start the year 1997 you
guys are making the international
missions seem easy and a special welcome
back to John after his four months on
Mir