 Just in case there's somebody that's wondering who are these guys, I'll introduce the crew of STS-7. Commander Bob Crippen, pilot Rick Halk, mission specialist John Fabian, Sally Ride and Norm Thaggerd. Thank y'all, appreciate such a large group coming out today. We're looking forward to it. If we can keep weather like this, we're certainly ready to go on Saturday. I think the Kennedy launch team has done a super job once again and proven that they can turn around a vehicle faster than we've ever done it before. And we're looking forward to getting airborne just as soon as we can. Everybody say hello. Rick, step up the bike. Sure good to be back and look forward to being back in about nine days. Or maybe ten. Rick said that pretty well. I don't think I can add anything. Sure thank y'all for coming out. It's always been good to come to KSC, but I think we have special reasons for thinking that this is a little bit better than normal. Thanks a lot. It's good to be home in Florida and although I usually hate to leave it, I guess I'll be glad to leave it at least on Saturday. It's good to be here. Thank y'all very much. This is shuttle launch control, T-minus three hours and holding. The astronaut flight crew of Bob Crippen, Rick Halk, John Fabian, Sally Ride and Norm and Thaggerd are presently in the room in the astronaut quarters ready for breakfast. Commander Bob Crippen is in the center of the group, all of them wearing striped t-shirts this morning. Bob Crippen, commander of the seventh flight of the space shuttle, will be the first astronaut to have flown on the shuttle for the second time. He was pilot on the first space shuttle launch just slightly more than two years ago. Born in Beaumont, Texas, he grew up in nearby Porter. He's a captain in the US Navy, married and has three daughters. Crippen has also been selected as a commander of the STS-13 crew, which will be the first mission to recover an ailing spacecraft from orbit, the solar maximum mission. Seated on his left is mission specialist Dr. Sally Ride, who will be the first US woman to fly into space. Dr. Ride emphasizes she's a mission specialist and scientist who happens to also be a woman. Seated at the end of the table is Rick Halk, who is the pilot on this mission. He joined the astronaut corps in 1978 after a distinguished career as a naval aviator. He served in Vietnam and was named the Outstanding Navy Test Pilot in 1972. A number of other people joining the astronauts for breakfast, which has a large cake with the patch which was designed especially for the STS-7 crew, which is always baked by the manager of the astronaut office here at the Kennedy Space Center, Nancy Gunner. This is shuttle launch control, T-minus 2 hours, 28 minutes, 15 seconds and counting. And our astronaut crew has just left their crew quarters, moving into the elevator to come down to the first floor of the ONC building for their trip to the pad. Commander Bob Crippen leading the way and everybody crowding into the elevator so that they can get down to the bottom. Just prior to that, the NASA test director said that there would be another checkpoint. He asked everybody to look at their criteria and that he'll be getting back to them prior to the actual time when the crew goes on board. But at this point, there are no constraints to the launch. A number of employees flashing their cameras as the crew comes out led by Commander Bob Crippen. John Fabian, the tallest of the group, once quite worried that he was just too tall to be an astronaut with a rumor of spacecraft that's not a problem. Dr. Norman Fagard bringing up the year has the distinction of being the first medical doctor to fly in the space. And the crew will be going out to the pad in a recreational vehicle or a tight vehicle this time. The last trip of the old Astro van, which has taken astronauts to the pad for many years, has been completed now. The crews are getting larger and there's no longer room to accommodate everybody that's necessary. The door being closed and this is an interim Astro van and will be replaced in the future. This is the largest crew. One of the first on the STS-7 mission is the size of the crew, which is at five is the largest one to have flown so far. But that number is going to be going up to seven and possibly more on future flights. A van pulling away from the O&C building where the astronaut quarters are located in the industrial area. Commander Bob Crippen now in the white room putting his Snoopy hat on and then he'll be putting on his launch and entry helmet. During the first few flights of the shuttle a full pressure suit was needed and so the helmets attached to that suit. However nowadays only coveralls are used plus a special harness which is used for restrained and emergencies. Commander Bob Crippen being brushed off with a whisk room and now his shoes being wiped off so that he doesn't track any dirt into the clean interior. He has just padded these suit technician on the back and is now entering the orbiter challenger. Pilot Rick Hawk moving into the area shaking hands with the technicians up there prior to putting on his vest. And he'll be the second one to enter the orbiter for the seventh mission of the space shuttle. The countdown clock at T minus two hours five minutes thirty seconds and counting this is shuttle launch control. First the focus of media attention around the world has been on Dr. Sally Ride who emphasizes that she's a mission specialist and a scientist who just also happens to be a woman. However as the first woman to fly in space on board a U.S. spacecraft history is undoubtedly going to focus on that as well as her accomplishments to date such as a doctorate in physics from Stanford University. She's married to Dr. Steven A. Hawley who also is an astronaut. She was also selected in 1978 and served as capsule communicator for the STS-2 and STS-3 missions. During this mission she's going to have a number of vital tasks to perform such as launching the Palapa satellite and deployment and recovery of the SPAS-1 spacecraft honors that she'll share with fellow mission specialist John Fabian. Dr. Thaggerd has the distinction of being the first medical doctor to fly and he will be taking a close first hand look at the effects of motion on human in space. Prior to becoming the starting of his medical studies he had been a captain in the Marine Corps and a naval aviator flying 163 combat missions in Vietnam. He then came back to the states and took his doctor of medicine degree from Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1977 and was an intern when he learned of the call for new astronauts and was selected for that program in 1978 also. T-minus 25 seconds and counting. The sequencer on board now controlling the final seconds. T-minus 17 seconds and counting. The body flap and speed breaker and launch position. T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. We go for main engine start. We have main engine start. And ignition and liftoff. Liftoff of STS-7 and America's first woman astronaut and the shuttle has cleared the tower. T-minus 221 nautical mile. Again, I need to be getting an absolute here in the dark but I could not get the stars right now. They sure are nice. Because we're taking out of thousands. Another space first. That's a beautiful shot. And there again you see Challenger with its tail pointed toward the earth. Here's the product of the sun's reflection off the radiators. There she goes. That's her shift over to the delta camera and you can see the two-year band antenna there very briefly. It is time to put on your socks and get into the day. And this morning... 45,000 feet, driving directly from the south at 10 knots. Speed 255 knots, altitude 34,000 feet. Touching the hack now. 18 miles to touchdown. 30,000 feet. 257 knots on the wide sweeping left turn around the hack. 25,000 feet. 260 knots. 20,000 feet. Final now. Right on the nominal track. Flight dynamics officer will just bolt reports. On glide slope and turning toward the centerline. 14,000 feet. 292 knots. Your energy looks good. Surface wind 180 at 10. 10,000 feet at 282 knots. On glide slope on centerline. 1500 feet. 281 knots. 87 knots. The unofficial touchdown time. In mission elapsed time. 6 days. 2 hours 24. Minutes 10 seconds. That time is unofficial. Roger, we see that. Congratulations, a great look in landing. And from the entry team, we've got some good news. The beer is very, very cold this morning. The bad news is it's 3,000 miles away. That's what I was afraid of. And I'll hand you over to the good guy Gardner here and he'll talk to you about your post-landing. Talk to that. Just a marking now. Crewman going to walk around inspection of Challenger.