we are now in the final four hours of
the countdown for the launch of space
shuttle discovery on the sts 70 mission
with launch occurring from pad B at
launch complex 39 here we see a replay
of the astronaut crew breakfast this
morning which occurred about 5:15
mission specialists
Mary Ellen Webber
she will be working with the deployment
of the tracking and data relay satellite
and our flight engineer mission
specialist Nancy curry our commander for
STS 70 Tom Hendricks and next to him his
pilot Kevin Kriegel
and mission specialist dr. Don Thomas
who together with dr. Mary Ellen Weber
will be working later today about six
hours after launch to deploy the tigress
ji tracking and data relay satellite and
our STS 70 cake with the emblem there on
the table
meanwhile out a launch pad 39b the final
inspection team has been going through
their routine inspections looking for
any buildup of ice on the external tank
or any of the flight surfaces that could
break off and strike space shuttle
discovery during launch the ice team has
a number of tools which includes a
portable infrared scanner to obtain
temperature measurements on the surface
of the vehicle and it can spot any leaks
in the external tank or the umbilicals
and the team also takes this as a last
opportunity to look at the pad to assure
that there's no loose debris around
which could also strike the orbiter at
launch
there we see our commander Tom Hendricks
letter to go suit it up with his helmet
and pilot Kevin Kregel it's also ready
to go Adam pleaded a fit check of the
helmets
Kevin's first light and we'll be hear
from him later on on what he's
anticipating there his first mission and
mission specialist dr. Don Thomas you
will be busy later this afternoon
working with the deployment of the
tracking and data relay satellite which
is main order of business for today
there is dr. Mary Ellen Weber we'll be
working with dr. Thomas later this
afternoon on the deployment of the iust
drous
and our flight engineer mission
specialist Nancy curry
she'll be seated in the aft center seat
during launch in reentry
and the suit up activities are about
completed so that the crew will be
headed out for the pad here in about
another 15 minutes
now we can see the crew somewhat better
pilot Kevin Kregel without his helmet
this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus three hours and holding we're
preparing now to come out of the
built-in hold in three two one and the
clock is now at t-minus three hours and
Counting all of our activities continue
to be on schedule this morning we're not
working any technical problems and the
weather appears favorable and as we
mentioned just a few moments ago the
astronauts are just about to leave for
the launch pad and will begin boarding
discovery on time now at t-minus two
hours 59 minutes 35 seconds and counting
this is shuttle launch control this is
shuttle launch control at t-minus two
hours 56 minutes two seconds and
counting and we see the astronauts have
just left the suit up room our pilot
Kevin Freegal with a good luck sign and
being wished well by some of the
astronaut support personnel
and our activities right now are
proceeding right to the managers our
pilot or our commander Tom Hendricks
pilot Kevin Kregel wishes specialist Don
Thomas
and there they go
white room technicians are
being advised now that the astronauts
are leaving the crew quarters and to
expect them shortly
and here we see the astronauts now
arriving at the 195-foot level the fixed
service structure at had be walking over
to the orbiter access arm
and some of the wait wait out on the
orbiter access arm while other crew
members are being assisted with their
helmets and other attire so that it
doesn't get too crowded the white room
is not very large and of course Tom
Hendrix will be the first one aboard
this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus 2 hours 27 minutes 27 seconds
and counting as we see Commander Tom
Hendricks boarding space shuttle
Discovery this is his third flight into
space his first as commander
and we see dr. Mary Ellen Webber
and like Kevin Kregel she's also making
her first
it's light today
pilot Kevin Kregel now preparing to
board discovery this is his first light
come on Tom
and we're seeing now mission specialists
on Thomas
preparing for for boarding
just in front here we see mission
specialist Nancy curry being assistant
with her flight crew equipment and she
was raised in Troy Ohio
mr. MS one contract discovery Houston
Donnelly have you loud and clear
tell me you're the same and welcome
aboard
copy that ass and in the meantime if you
could perform your clothes out for
flight pull your checklist please yes
copies discovery Houston for to CDR and
P ot boys check on air-to-ground - how
do you read discovery Houston read you
both loud and clear configured for air -
Air Force okay
you see CVP copy that and the hatch is
being closed and sealed
exactly on time
and here is Bob Cabana returning in the
shuttle training aircraft
he has been doing approaches to runway
one-five at the Shuttle Landing Facility
assessing those conditions and will be
going up for another pass runway
one-five has been designated as the
runway we would use in the event of an
emergency today which is a basically a
Northwest to southeast approach
Elte OTC particular fuel cell essential
buzzsaw switches
special buses are connected to fuel
cells
he lets us go for a repress
and the orbiter access arm can be moved
back into position around the hatch in
about 30 seconds should an emergency
occur
t-minus seven minutes and Counting
next milestone is the start of the
auxiliary power units by pilot Kevin
Kregel you'll flip three switches on the
cockpit to start each of the three AP
use and then work that's complete if you
pre start in work
we may flight controls through their
test pattern
three main engines now being gibble all
of these steering checks to assure that
we have proper control during ascent
hurry now to attract the GOx beanie cap
Elte clear caution and warning memory
verify no unexpected errors t-minus two
minutes 30 seconds
Carson whatever he's cleared no one
expected
and the gaseous oxygen vent hood which
been our attraction under way on
schedule
- 90 seconds
sound suppression water system now being
armed
that's quantity of 300,000 gallons of
water and the water tank at the pad
which will flow at a rate of 900,000
gallons a minute starting at t minus 16
seconds do you - one minute now
standing by for the handoff to
Discovery's onboard flight computers at
t-minus 31 seconds
okay the result of the topic SP thank
you our personnel at that clock will
begin momentarily and we've had the
handoff to Discovery's onboard computers
sound suppression water system activated
13 seconds
nine eight seven six five main engine
ignition four three two one and liftoff
of space shuttle discovery to complete
NASA's constellation of tracking
stations in the sky
Houston now controlling the flight of
discovery Roger roll discovery discovery
completes the roll to place the shuttle
and a heads down wings level position
but he needn't have the net mind a
Worman
27 seconds into the flight discoveries
three liquid fuel main engines now
throttling back in a three-step fashion
to sixty-seven percent of rated
performance to lessen the stress on the
surfaces NASA through the sound barrier
50 seconds into the flight the main
engines now beginning to rev up once
again to 104 percent of rated
performance including the new block one
engine all three main engines performing
normally as are the three power
producing fuel cells and Discovery's
three hydraulic power units
discovery Houston go at throttle up
discovery now sixty-three thousand feet
and altitude
eight miles downrange all systems
continue to function normally in the
early stage of the fourth shuttle flight
of the year
20 seconds left in first stage
performance of the solid rocket boosters
discovery approaching the 155 thousand
foot mark and altitude some 26 miles
downrange
booster officer confirms solid rocket
booster separation discovery Houston
performance nominal performance
Roger discovery we have a good picture
discovery Houston the folks of Sunnyvale
would like to know where that ice came
from did you see where it departed from
it was difficult for us to tell her
originated from the first time we saw it
was just after the IUS cleared the bay
and it could have come from around the
back of the ASD understand that sounds
likely
yeah the circumference appeared to be
very similar to the I us the cumference
oh I see now the shape of the curve
that's right
discovery we're about 90 seconds from
teachers hand over we may lose the
picture here shortly okay it looks like
this shows about over it now we'd love
more well we'll keep it coming
throughout to the following week
tell me over here we all get may for
your deploy Thompson and the commander's
seat up front
watching the ogre system stops in the
back getting ready to do the step
maneuver
Nancy is Brittany the cameras and Dawn
is over on the left-hand side control
the IUS controls and Mary Ellen is over
on the right-hand side my turn the iun
system you could tell today that was a
very well-trained team that we're seeing
they come these are some shots with the
camcorder of the deploy that you'll see
this is a real team effort up here
everybody was busy operating cameras
flying the orbiter and deploying the
satellite up up here so let's team up in
another part and also big team effort on
the ground
we had people at white sands Sunnyvale
all around the world helping to support
the satellite deployed and we really
appreciate the great help and support
that made it possible today that's a
gorgeous picture a discovery and all of
you working together have put another
big building block in the space
infrastructure there you can see it's on
its way it's just leaving the support
equipment here and on its way out the
geosynchronous orbit where we'll be
supporting future mission space station
freedom and the Hubble Space Telescope
to name just a few applications
that's a beautiful deploy discovery so
we're not nice and smooth we didn't see
any rates on a satellite at all
copy discovery that's interesting six
years ago the I us put Galileo on the
way to Jupiter and they just released
their probe towards that planet last
night and they only have a couple of
shots but payload bay cameras of deploy
there tom and discovery we see that very
clearly thanks
discovery we can see five phases and the
aft windows there
Eustis WC a piece of debris there next
to the satellite that was actually a
piece of ice that are prepared to be
about three foot long it went by the
window previous to this view and we
verified it was ice and it did break in
a couple of pieces okay thanks discovery
I'm sure we would have asked you about
that and thanks for laying that concern