 Good afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is Space Shuttle Endeavour launch control. The countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour tonight on mission STS-89 is continuing on schedule. Launch is scheduled to occur at about 9.48 p.m. Eastern time and we are currently at a scheduled hold at T-minus three hours. Work at Launch Pad 39A as well as operations here in the firing room are continuing as planned. This is Endeavour's first mission to dock with Russia's space station mirror. The previous seven docking missions were all successfully done with the orbiter Atlantis. With an on-time launch docking of Endeavour with mirror is set to occur at about 3 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, January 24th. And we're with live pictures now from the crew quarters and the operations checkout building as our seven astronauts are seated for their traditional meal prior to launch. Our Sharapov is a mission specialist as well as we just saw Mission Specialist James Riley here as Ivani Dumbar who is preparing for her fifth flight into space today. She is the most experienced astronaut of all the crew members today which are commanded by Terry Wilkett who will be leading this crew of seven. Andy Thomas will be remaining on mirror for four months. Michael Anderson and pilot Joe Edwards are preparing for their first flights into space today. Everybody looks like they're wide awake. They have been in fact awake since about nine o'clock this morning. They've had two meals since that time and this is simply a snack that they will have before they make final preparations to board the orbiter Endeavour and then launch tonight at our preferred launch time of 9.48 p.m. At the shuttle pad the final inspection team is continuing their operations to make final inspections of the orbiter as well as to look for any potential debris items that may be on the pad surface or on any of the number of walkways that go run up and down the full length of the vehicle. They'll also be looking for any build-ups of ice or frost on the external tank following the loading of the cryogenic reactants. And we have now moved to live TV of our astronauts that are being suited up. They have just completed their weather briefing and are making an effort to get a little bit ahead of schedule so they have moved on into the pseudo prune commander Terry Wilka of course being the commander of this mission is did again receive his weather briefing just moments ago and was told that we will proceed with our activities tonight that there are no technical issues that we're dealing with Bonnie Dunbar who was preparing to make her fifth flight into space tonight is also making final preparations to ensure that her suit is tight and snug. Joe Edwards of course seen he is the pilot of this crew and he is preparing for his first flight into space and we have seated here Michael Anderson again also making his first flight into space Jim Riley also making his first flight into space he is a designated mission specialist number one and he is saying hello to his friends and family who may be watching or who have actually come to the space center to watch his launch tonight Salzan Sharapov is a graduate from the Moscow State University. He was also a pilot instructor in the Russian Air Force and he was been training at the Gagarian Cosmonaut Training Center to be an astronaut or a cosmonaut candidate since 1990. Andy Thomas will be making his second trip aboard the shuttle but this will be his first time to visit the space station Mir which will be his home for the next four months. He will replace astronaut Dave Wolf who has been on Mir since September. Thomas is scheduled to be the seventh and final astronaut to live aboard Mir and at this time we do have live shots from the third floor of the operations and check out building as the crew exit their crew quarters and make their way down the hallway toward the elevator which will take them out to the astronaut van which will then take them out to the pad and they're being greeted by well-wishers and supporters employees at the Kennedy Space Center who like to get a last glimpse of the crew before they head off into space spending the next nine days in orbit five of those days docked with the Mir space station and the astronauts coming out of the quarters right now as they are being led by their commander Terry Wilkut followed by pilot Joe Edwards mission specialist Bonnie Dunbar Michael Anderson Salazon Sharpaugh James Riley and Andy Thomas and this is a view from the white room as our commander Terry Wilkut is making final preparations to enter the orbiter he is he will be the first to enter the vehicle so that he he can begin the enormous task of making sure that everything is set up and ready to go for a launch tonight mission specialist Andy Thomas making his second trip aboard the shuttle again he will remain on Mir for the next four months replacing astronaut Dave Wolf who has been on board Mir since September. Thomas will become the seventh and final astronaut to live aboard Mir pilot Joe Edwards has just now crawled into the orbiter and he will be followed by mission specialist Bonnie Dunbar the most experienced astronaut in this flight having gone into space four times already. Step five fifty four new tapes. Copy that's complete, check thirteen ninety. Thirteen ninety. And now it's at five fifty four? Five fifty four. OTC PLT, down check. PLT, this is OTC, I got you loud and clear, help me. Locked over by the computer. Evening Joe. CHD, CVSF, the CVSF sends to the air to ground one, verify active on air to ground one and monitor two three two for major count and verify loud and clear. CHD, ACD, verify loud and clear. CVSF, CVSF, verify loud and clear. And GVSF. GVSF, actually loud and clear. Loud and clear. Dave King is being introduced today as the new launch director at Kennedy Space Center. He is only the third launch director that Cape has had since we had returned to flight of the space shuttle. King began his career with NASA in 1983 as a main propulsion engineer. He later served as flow director for the Orbiter Discovery and as the acting deputy director of the installation operations director. And CDR launch director. Yes, CDR. K. Terry, looks like weather is good. Looks like we got a good vehicle and we're going to try to get you out of town tonight and be looking forward to seeing you back here in nine or ten days. Thanks a million. And we'd also like to extend our thanks to your workforce here at KSC and to all the honorees that are down here for this space by the way, this launch. And we have Orbiter Access Arm now being retracted away from the vehicle. This arm can be returned to position within seconds if need be. RTC PLT APU restart complete with three great dogmechs. Get out. RTC PLT APU starts complete with three good APUs. Thank you. And final error surface checks of the Orbiter's Alavons as well as the rudder are being completed at this time. This verifies the Orbiter's hydraulic systems. And the three main engines are being gimbled for a final test before launch. And we're standing by for the retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent hood away from the external tank and it is being retracted at this time. Inside the bronze color tank is about 500,000 gallons of super cold liquid fuels that run on the Orbiter's three main engines. Copy that. Flight crew, OTC. Closing launch divisors and initiate O2 flow. We begin 98 sending our last astronaut for his stay on mayor. We're going to howl for the Wolfman. That should work. We'll see you in a few days. T minus 13 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. We have a dope start. 4, 3, 2, 1. We have booster ignition and liftoff of the Spatial Endeavour continuing the union of U.S. and Russian space endeavors. This endeavor will program. Houston is now controlling. The roll maneuver is complete. Endeavour is now in a heads down wings level position headed to a rendezvous with the mayor space station. I'm traveling at about 520 miles per hour. Endeavour's engines are now throttling down to 67% of rated thrust. Endeavour is now passing through the area of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle in the lower atmosphere down range from the Kennedy Space Center. 2.3 miles traveling at a speed of just about 870 miles per hour. Endeavour, Houston, go with throttle up. Roger, go with throttle up. One minute 19 seconds into the flight. Endeavour's three liquid fueled engines are now back at full throttle. 104% of rated thrust. Endeavour down range from the Kennedy Space Center a distance of about 10 and a half miles traveling at the speed of about 2,000 miles per hour. Just about seven minutes of powered flight remaining. Two minutes, nine seconds into the flight the booster officer confirms good separation of the solid rocket boosters. And never now down range from the Kennedy Space Center at a distance of about 38 miles. Endeavour, Houston, performance nominal. What's nominal? Endeavour, Houston, two engine towel. Two engine towel. Two minutes, 35 seconds into the flight. Endeavour's performance has been as expected and in the event of a single engine failure. Endeavour could now reach the transatlantic landing site at Zaragoza, Spain. Telemetry still continuing to indicate that all three main engines and auxiliary power units and fuel cells are performing well.