 Today's launch of Atlantis will mark a historic milestone in U.S. spaceflight endeavors. The primary objective of this mission is to dock for the first time with Russia's Mir space station. This is also the 100th U.S. human space launch dating back to Alan Shepard's first historic 15-minute suborbital flight 34 years ago. Also, this will be the first time 10 individuals will fly aboard the shuttle during a single flight. And we are seeing live video or live TV coverage of our seven Ascent astronauts who will be flying aboard Atlantis today. Of course, we'll be dropping off the two cosmonauts and returning with two other cosmonauts and astronaut Norm Thagard on the space station. We are looking at mission specialist Greg Harbaugh, who is on his third flight today. He is mission specialist number two and mission specialist number one is Ellen Baker. She also is on her third flight and she is the payload commander for STS-71. Mission commander, flight commander is a former chief of the astronaut office commander, Robert Hoot Gibson, on his fifth flight. One of our two cosmonauts that will be flying today is Anatoly Soloviev on his fourth flight into space, his first aboard the shuttle. He is the mere 19 commander and his fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Boudarin on his first flight into space and our own pilot Charles Precourt, who was on his second flight into space today. Following their lunch, the crew will be given a briefing on today's weather's conditions, which at KSC as well as at the various contingency landing sites around the globe. And then they'll put on their flight suits and make preparations to depart their crew quarters for the launch pad. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus three hours and holding. And we have live TV of our seven crew members who will fly aboard Atlantis today, beginning with commander Robert Hoot Gibson, who will be on his fifth space shuttle flight. He is the former chief of the astronaut office, just prior to taking this command position for this most significant flight as TS-71, which will dock for the first time with the Russian Mir space station. Gibson is being joined by his pilot and his mission specialists as well as the two cosmonauts who will fly aboard Atlantis today. His pilot's name is Charles Precourt, and of course he is the second in command aboard the shuttle. And this is his second flight into space today. They are being joined by mission specialists Ellen Baker. She is on her third flight and she is the payload commander for STS-71. She has prime responsibility for the space lab that is situated in Atlantis payload bay. This looks like our mission specialist, Greg Harbaugh. And he is difficult to distinguish then sometimes in their helmets and suit. But he is responsible for the orbiter docking system, which is also in Atlantis payload bay. Next we have one of our two cosmonauts who will be flying on board today. This is Nikolai Boudarin, who is on his first space flight. He will serve as the flight engineer for the Mir 19 crew. And they plan to stay on the Russian space station for several months once we launch and deliver them to that space station. Mission specialist Bonnie Dunbar is preparing for her fourth flight. She trained in Star City in Russia as the backup to astronaut Dr. Norm Thaggerd, who is currently aboard Mir. And she would have been aboard the Mir space station at this time if there had been any reason to not permit Dr. Thaggerd to fly. Of course he has been on board for the past three months and now she's going to go and greet him and assist in the process to bring him back. Our second cosmonaut who will be flying aboard the Spatial Atlantis today is Anatoly Soloviev. He is on his fourth flight into space, this of course being his first Spatial launch. And he is the commander for the Mir 19 crew, the Mir 19 crew of course consisting of himself and Boudarin. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus three hours and holding and we have live pictures of our seven person crew who are going to be flying today aboard Spatial Atlantis. And we have our first look today of Hugh Gibson as he is walking out with the rest of his crew, coming with him as the commander of the Mir 19 crew, Commander Soloviev, as well as the other members of the crew, pilot Charles Precourt Mission Specialist Ellen Baker, Bob on the Dunbar and Cosmonaut Nicolai Boudarin. All are in the process now of making their entry into the Astro van where they will be driven on about a 25 minute trip out to launch pad 39A. I copy, I'll be on my pole at this time. Launch direct on 212, coming around for a go for launch, payload director? Go. Engineering director? Oh, team engineering is go. SNMA director? SNMA is go. And range weather? Register, we have no constraint to launch. I copy and I'll manage your launch director at Glaston-Duperspeed. And Jim, the MMT is looking no issues here currently at launch. I copy. NTD launch director? Stand by a second while I say a message to Atlantis. This is launch director. Well, hope the vehicle is ready. The weather has finally come in there for us and so you guys have a good mission. And we'll see you back here in about a week plus two days. Jim, thank you very much. It's always a pleasure to work with you. We are more than ready and maybe it's going to feel twice as good to get off today. Thanks for all the great work and the great support. And NTD launch director, you have a request to receive the launch. Okay, I copy. Thank you. Yeah, let's just go for auto sequence start. And we have a go for auto sequence start. Atlantis onboard computers have primary control of all the vehicle's critical functions. T minus 20, 15, 12, T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5. We have three main engines up and running. Two, one, and lift off of the spatial Atlantis on a mission that will herald a new day of international cooperation in space. Houston now controlling. Roger roll, Atlantis. Free liquid fueled engines are back at full throttle of 104%. The vehicle's altitude is approaching 70,000 feet downrange from the launch site, 10 nautical miles. Atlantis is already traveling 2,000 miles per hour as the vehicle passes through one and a half minutes into the flight. The next event is burnout in separation of the twin solid rocket boosters at about the two minute four second mark of the flight. SRB separation is confirmed aboard the orbiter. Atlantis is downrange from the launch site, 32 nautical miles. Altitude is 170,000 feet. Traveling 4,400 feet per second are about 3,000 miles per hour. Houston performance nominal. We copy. Performance is nominal, Kurt. Houston, we show MECO on speed. Atlantis Houston, we show a nominal MECO. OMS-1 not required. We copy. No OMS-1. We now again have live television from the cargo bay of the spacecraft, this from a camera that's in the forward corner looking at the front of the space lab module mounted at the far end of the cargo bay of the shuttle. This is Mission Control, Houston. This live television from Atlantis shows the docking module located in the forward portion of the cargo bay of the shuttle. Houston, Atlantis, out to the ODS. When are you ready? Go ahead, sir. Yeah, that all went very well according to the procedure and without any difficulty, I have removed and stowed the three identified caps at the four and a half sections of the booster fan and at the aft end of the mixing box forward of the ODS. I have verified good airflow coming at the top of the outlet there around the top of the halo and the external airlock, top of the ODS in other words. And the payload isolation valve was closed. It is open and I think that's it. Let me know if you have any questions, I think we've got a good configuration.