the countdown for launch of space
shuttle Columbia on mission STS 75 is
continuing on schedule today the window
for launch of Columbia opens at 3:18
p.m. Eastern Time and extends for two
and a half hours work at launch pad 39b
as well as operations here in firing
room 1 at the launch control center
continues as planned no technical issues
or problems are being worked or
discussed at this time and we do
anticipate an on-time liftoff of the
shuttle Columbia and the seven-member
crew from the Kennedy Space Center
everything continues to go well with the
countdown the crew is on schedule
exactly on schedule to be taking out to
the pad they'll be suited up in the next
few moments after they complete their
meal the crew has just completed a
briefing on the weather conditions here
at Kennedy Space Center as well as at
the various contingency landing sites
again we do have live TV of our crew
being suited up for flight today
starting with mission commander Andy
Allen who his pilot is Scott Horowitz
who is a lieutenant colonel in the US
Air Force doc Horowitz as he is referred
to is on his first shuttle mission
standing on the left is claude nicollier
he is on his third flight today he is a
European Space Agency astronaut again he
is standing next to and discussing the
mission with payload specialist Umberto
Guido knee of the Italian space agency
Jeff Hoffman doesn't have his helmet on
yet easily identifiable with his a broad
smile Jeff is on his fifth flight today
he's flown four times previously holds a
doctorate degree in astrophysics and has
been working on the tethered satellite
project for a number of years
mauricio Kelly is a astronaut from the
European Space Agency and a lieutenant
colonel in the Italian Air Force this is
his first flight another one of our very
veteran fliers as Franklin chang-diaz he
has flown four times this will be his
fifth flight
he is the payload commander for this
mission and the commander and Andy Allen
has emerged from the building followed
by those pilots Pat Horowitz and payload
commander from chang-diaz mission we see
Oh Kelly and payload specialist Umberto
we don't
do I hear 30 cm ago 232 you and
hydraulic strip chart recorder
and they final test of the flight
control services will soon be conducted
this is a program pattern of movements
designed to verify the readiness for
launch of the engines and other flight
control surfaces
the final error surface checks of the
warbirds flaps and weather are being
completed this verifies all of those
hydraulic systems are up and running
and the engines are being
and we have a go for autosequence start
Colombia's onboard computers have
primary control of all the vehicles
critical functions t-minus 20 seconds
t-minus 15 seconds
t-minus 12 11 to 1 and we have liftoff
of the space shuttle Columbia continuing
space research through tether satellite
technology
Columbia Houston now controlling I'll be
rolling on course for a twenty eight
point five degree inclination of it
Rajasthan by some beware Shan good
engines good commands and all three
they call with that all engines
operating well onboard Columbia
Columbia's engines now throttling down
to two thirds total to prepare the
spacecraft to pass through the area of
maximum air pressure and I go supersonic
booster officer confirms a good
separation of the twin side rockets
lumpy now in its second stage main
engines three main engines again
operating well at full throttle Columbia
performance nominal six minutes till
cut-off of the main engines Columbia's
altitude now 33 nautical miles Columbia
speed now 6,200 miles per hour
Columbia's trajectory will level off at
this point as it accelerates to the East
almost tripling its current speed to
reach the 17,000 400 miles per hour
required for orbit we're just now
receiving live television from
Columbia's it passes almost directly
overhead the Houston area this
television through the Merritt Island
tracking station located near the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida onboard
all activities continue to go smoothly
for the crew they've opened the payload
bay doors in just about 10 minutes ago
or so they were given a go for orbit
operations so that go the indication
that they can be prepared to stay in
orbit for an extended period of time
currently on track have for their 14-day
flight
Columbia Houston
yeah and it just given you a heads up
that you have a go to configure for
Bernier's and then you can go to
verniers early help save some problem
we are standing by to receive live
television of the astronauts in the
operations and check-out building at
Kennedy Space Center as they are seated
for their breakfast and here we have
live TV of the crew the crew are divided
into three shifts for this mission so
for this last meal before launch they
are eating either breakfast lunch or
dinner depending on what sleep cycle
they are on this has been set up to
accommodate the round-the-clock
operations of the various experiment
packages on board the shuttle Maurizio
Kelly is from the European Space Agency
he'll be making his first trip into
space today and to the right is a
veteran space flier Franklin chang-diaz
making his fifth flight into space today
Scott Horowitz or doc Horowitz is a
lieutenant colonel in the Air Force he's
preparing for his first flight and
commander Andy Allen a lieutenant
colonel nd Marine Corps is preparing for
his third flight into space today
mission specialist Jeffrey Hoffman also
a very experienced space flier preparing
for his fifth flight into space today
and rounding out the seven-member crew
was on the Left we have claude nicollier
who was making his third flight in space
as well as umberto guido nee who was
preparing for his first flight
everything continues to go well with the
countdown the crew is on schedule
exactly on schedule to be taking out to
the pad they'll be suited up in the next
few moments after they complete their
meal after suit up of course they will
then walk out to the pad or out to the
astro van which will carry them out to
the pad that departure for the pad
remains on schedule for just a few
minutes before 12 noon Eastern Time
today
tanking operations were went without
incident today and all when it's planned
no problems with the tanking will
reported today's lunch will be
Colombia's 19th flight and the 75th
shuttle flight overall and NASA's Space
Shuttle program
this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus 3 hours in holding and we do
have live TV of our crew being suited up
for flight today starting with mission
commander Andy Allen who was on his
third spaceflight today served as pilot
for both STS 62 and 46 the first flight
of the tether satellite he has a major
in marine core and has more than 4,000
hours of flight time in over 30 types of
aircraft commander Allen was born in
Philadelphia Pennsylvania he's a
graduate of the u.s. naval test pilot
school his pilot is Scott Horowitz who
is a lieutenant colonel in the US Air
Force doc Horowitz as he is referred to
is on his first shuttle mission again he
is a in the Air Force holds a doctorate
degree in aerospace engineering moving
on around the room we have two of our
well we have our payload specialist - as
Imbert Doug Wead we don't he who is with
the Italian space agency Umberto is an
Italian space agency astronaut and a
researcher for the Italian space physics
Institute he is standing well he was
standing next to one of our other
payload specialists suit up technicians
are assisting the crew and getting their
suits on of course when they have their
helmets on with the dark visors
impossible to tell who they are in this
case Jeff Hoffman doesn't have his
helmet on yet easily identifiable with
his broad smile he was born in Brooklyn
grew up in Scarsdale New York Jeff is on
his fifth flight today he's flown four
times previously holds a doctorate
degree in astrophysics and has been
working on the tethered satellite
project for a number of years
mauricio Kelly is a astronaut from the
European Space Agency and a lieutenant
colonel in the Italian Air Force this is
his first flight he has flown over 2200
hours and more than 45 types of aircraft
these suits are capable of being
partially inflated to provide added
comfort and protection during launch and
landing operations of the space shuttle
another one of our very veteran fliers
as Franklin chang-diaz he has flown five
times or excuse me he has flown four
times this will be his fifth flight he
is the payload commander for this
mission he holds a doctorate degree and
applied plasma physics and as director
of the advanced space propulsion
laboratory at the University of Houston
Texas
standing on the left is claude nicollier
he is on his third flight today he is a
European Space Agency astronaut who has
flown on both sts-61 and STS 46 he is a
captain and the Swiss Air Force and
holds a master's degree in astrophysics
again he is standing next to and
discussing the mission with payload
specialist Umberto Guido knee of the
Italian space agency
this is shuttle launch control at
t-minus three hours and holding and we
do have live television of our flight
crew on the third floor of the
operations check-out building just
departing their suit up room and making
their way toward the elevator which will
take them to the base of the room there
is a wide range of interest on this
mission and its international crew
workers at Kennedy Space Center of
course are all anxious to see this one
go on time today
all events in today's launch countdown
continue to proceed without any problems
we're standing by for the crew to exit
their crew quarters exit the operations
to check out building in KSC's
industrial area they will be entering
this astronaut van which will then take
them on their 25 minute drive out to
launch pad 39b on the eastern coast of
florida in Brevard County
and the commander and Andy Allen has
emerged from the building followed by
his pilot Scott Horlicks and commander
I'm saying he is Moishe okay Lee and
payload specialist Umberto we don't
riding along with the crew in the
astronaut van our members of the flight
crew office and other astronauts who
will be performing weather assessment
functions for the launch today astronaut
Robert hoot Gibson will be piloting the
shuttle training aircraft which will be
used for weather reconnaissance prior to
and during today's launch
frequently we have support from the
Air Force or from NASA helicopters and
from pilots who also track the crews
progress out to the pad
we have a view of the flight crew at the
195-foot level at pad 39b as they are
making their final preparations to enter
the orbiter Columbia
the crew for this mission have been at
Kennedy Space Center since Monday
afternoon during their stay here they
have been through the standard
pre-launch activities including flying
the shuttle training aircraft going over
pad procedures and taking part in
orbiter and payload status briefings
currently standing in the white room as
it is called because of obvious
whiteness of the paint we have the
commander of this flight Andy Allen he
is the commander for this mission
we have a good view of the two veteran
fliers jeff hoffman and franklin
chang-diaz on the right both they're
preparing to make their fifth flight
into space today franklin chang-diaz
holding up a sign to his wife Peggy and
his four children Jean Sonya Lydia and
Miranda as he prepares to enter the
space shuttle Columbia for his fifth
excursion into space aboard the space
shuttle
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