 For Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this is Shuttle Launch Control at T-minus 3 hours and holding. We are now in the final 5 hours of the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on a NASA-sponsored microgravity research flight. The countdown is being controlled from Firing Room 1 at the Launch Control Center, and we are on schedule for a lift off at 6.30 a.m. eastern time this morning. This is the 11th flight for Endeavour and the 77th mission of the Space Shuttle program since launches began in April 1981, 14 years ago, and the 52nd since return to flight in 1988. This STS-77 mission has a planned duration of 10 days, 0 hours, 37 minutes, if all goes as planned, with the landing expected to occur at Kennedy Space Center on the morning of May 29th at approximately 7.07 a.m. eastern time, assuming an on-time launch today. The 5 member flight crew of Endeavour are being awakened at this time at the astronaut quarters, and in approximately a half hour they will be entering the dining room for breakfast, after which they will have a weather briefing and receive a status on the countdown activity. They will then go to the suit up room and don their launch and entry suits, and at 3.10 a.m. they will depart the crew quarters for the 20 minute ride out to Launch Pad 39B at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Weather wise, we continue to have very favorable conditions for a launch today, just a 10% chance of not meeting our launch weather criteria due primarily to the slight chance of an offshore shower out in the ocean moving onshore around the Cape vicinity, but with the 2.5 hour launch window there is ample time to wait for a shower to pass. And here are all 6 of our STS-77 crew members ready for breakfast and our traditional cake on the table at the end mission specialist Dan Birch, our flight engineer on this mission. Kurt Brown, our pilot on this flight. We'll be busy with numerous rendezvous activities along with our commander, John Casper, making his fourth flight into space today. Mission Specialist Mario Runko making his third trip into space. Mission Specialist preview was seen in 1991 and 1993. And Andy Thomas from Australia, our payload commander during the flight from Australia and Canadian mission specialist Mark Garneau. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus 3 hours and holding where we're in the suit up room now with the astronauts. We just saw our commander, John Casper. And here is pilot Kurt Brown. And here is mission specialist Andy Thomas, our commander once again, John Casper. And here is Dan Birch making his third flight. He flew previously on STS-51 in 1993 and STS-68 in 1994. Here is Canadian mission specialist Mark Garneau. He'll be doing a number of microgravity research experiments, particularly with the Aquatic Research Facility. And here is Mario Runko making his third trip into space. He was on STS-44 in 1991 and STS-54 in 1993. And here are our astronauts now just leaving the suit up room headed for the elevator. Third floor of the operations and checkout building located in the KSC industrial area. Director of Flight Crew Operations Dave Leesma is with him. Bob Cabana will be flying the weather reconnaissance this morning. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus 2 hours and 41 minutes and 52 seconds and counting where we've just seen the STS-77 astronauts come off the elevator on the fixed service structure. And they will be walking across the orbiter access arm to board endeavor. Mission specialist and Canadian astronaut Mark Garneau in the picture now making his second trip into space. Here in the firing room we're getting ready now for the final pre-flight alignment of the inertial measurement units on board endeavor. Copy that. And endeavor. Zeus, you and your band have a great mission and we'll see you back in nine days. Tim, we thank you for all the great work your folks have done and we're ready to go flying. And NTD, you're cleared to launch. PRT in alert. TDR-OCC reconfigure unit. TDR in alert. And we're now activating the firing chain on the solid rocket booster and external tank rain safety system. Yeah, let's just go for orbiter access arm, we start. Firing chain is armed. Sound suppression water system is activated. Rain safety command systems are armed. P-minus 10, 9, 8, 7. Ignition sequence start. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. And liftoff of the space shuttle endeavor to develop the practical and the beneficial aspects of space. Roger roll, endeavor. Houston now controlling endeavors underway on its 11th trip to space. Currently rolling on course for an east-northeast trajectory away from the Kennedy Space Center toward a 39 degree inclination, 153 nautical mile altitude orbit. Endeavour already traveling 430 miles per hour. Altitude two miles. Three engines on board endeavor have now throttled back to two-thirds throttle to prepare the spacecraft to pass through the area of maximum air pressure and go supersonic. Endeavour speed now 700 miles per hour. Altitude four and a half miles. Two and a half miles east-northeast of the Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour, go with throttle up. Go with throttle up. Three engines on endeavor now back at full throttle. Altitude 10 miles. Endeavour traveling 1,400 miles per hour. Eight miles east-northeast of the Kennedy Space Center. One and a half minutes since launch. Endeavour's already used more than two and a quarter million pounds of propellant. The spacecraft weighs less than half of what it did at liftoff. One minute 50 seconds since liftoff. Endeavour now traveling 2,700 miles per hour. Altitude 24 miles. 24 miles downrange from the Kennedy Space Center. Flight control is standing by for burnout in Jettison of the Twin Solid Rockets. So as you land clear, what a ride. Sounds good, Endeavour, and we're right there with you. Are you getting our downlink? Yes, we have good TV on the midday. South a little resistance. I thought it was the septum that I was going through, but you can see what happened. I don't know if I'm too close right now. Can you tell me to back up or not? In this view, the Kennedy Space Center is the shuttle landing facility runway. Visible as the long mark there on Cape Canaveral. Endeavour currently at an altitude of 176 statute miles.