 The payload on STS-83 is the Microgravity Science Laboratory, a pressurized module in Columbia's payload bay. We're going to take a tour now of the MSL-1 space lab. My name is John Heckel and I'm the payload operations engineer for STS-83, the Microgravity Science Laboratory. We're standing inside the orbiter processing facility and what you see over my shoulder is the Microgravity Science Laboratory inside the orbiter's payload bay. The Microgravity Science Laboratory weighs about 10 tons. It's 23 feet long and about 13 feet in diameter. It only takes up about a third of the orbiter's payload bay and the way the astronauts get from the crew module into the space lab module is they travel through this long tunnel you see here. The Columbia on the pad was the first in the shuttle fleet, arrived at KSC in March of 1979 and the first launch was from pad A, same pad as we're using today, on April 12, 1981. It deployed the first satellite in the space shuttle program on STS-5 and then flew the first space lab mission on STS-9. Columbia is named after a small sailing vessel that was based in Boston Harbor in 1792 and another one of Columbia's claims is that it brought back the long duration exposure facility from space after almost six years in space. We see our commander Jim Halsell and Jim Halsell was phoned previously on STS-65 and STS-74. Here's our pilot Susan Still, second female pilot to fly the space shuttle, graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University locally in Daytona Beach. Janice Voss, our payload commander on this mission. She's logged more than 18 days in space. This is her third space shuttle flight, having flown on STS-57 and STS-63. And mission specialist number three, or rather, payload specialist number one, I'm sorry, Roger Crouch will be responsible for much of the science operations on board the microgravity space lab. This is his first space shuttle flight. Mike Gernhardt, mission specialist number two and also our flight engineer for STS-83. Here's Greg Lenteris, head of specialist number two, his first flight into space, also responsible for much of the science on board the microgravity science laboratory. Here's Don Thomas once again, mission specialist number three. We're standing by now to come out of this two hour built-in hold in just a few moments, coming out in four, three, two, one. We're now at T minus three hours and counting. This is shuttle launch control at T minus two hours, 58 minutes, 30 seconds and counting. And we see the STS-83 crew has just left the suit up room, headed for the elevator. Be heading down to the third floor to the first floor, board the astronaut stand. Board the 20 minute ride out to pad 39A. Meanwhile, out at the launch pad, the final inspection team has just reported that their activities are complete and they're leaving the pad. And in just a moment we should see the crew, many KSC employees and well-wishers waiting to greet them as they come out of the elevator. And here they come, larger than usual contingent of employees wishing them well. This is shuttle launch control at T minus two hours, 37 minutes, 30 seconds and counting. The astronauts have arrived at the 195 foot level of the fixed service structure where the orbiter acts. This arm is located. Commander and pilot will walk across the arm shortly to begin their boarding while the other crew members await their turn, either out on the arm or on the fixed service structure. And as we've been able to tell, they're early enjoying the very nice day out at the pad to take advantage of looking at Space Shuttle Columbia being prepared in the last hours here for flight. MS-1, come check. MS-1, entity loud and clear, Tannis. Good morning, welcome aboard. John Montclair here. All activities proceeding on schedule, we're not working any issues. Weather continues to be cooperative at least at this point in time at T minus 59 minutes. And counting, this is shuttle launch control. 9669, this flight is complete. Okay, and this is the entity conducting launch status. Check all stations, verify ready to resume count and go for launch OTC. OTC is go. Copy, TBC. Back in business, go for launch. TTC. TTC is go. LTS. LTS is go. Houston flight. Houston flight is go. Copy. Myla. Myla, go. STM. STM go. Safety console. Safety console, go. STE. STE is no-go at this time. Copy, CDR. STM is go. Copy. LRD. LRD is go. And SRO. SRO is go. You have a range clear to launch. Standing by to start the main engine helium purge sequence preparing for main engine start activities. TLS is go for purge sequence four. And now we'll be checking the flight controls on the orbiter, the aero surface profile test. Vehicle will go to internal power in about 10 seconds. CDR, TTC. To verify, hit your read configuration complete. Yes, sir. That is complete. Thank you. Copy. Coming up on T-minus three minutes 23 seconds. We're now gimbling three main engines checking their steering capability. Next activity will be to pressurize the liquid oxygen tank on the external tank at T-minus two minutes 55 seconds. And we'll start the retraction of the Goxbini cap. T-L-T-O-T-C. We'll go to clear caution warning memory and verify no unexpected errors. Topping off for the fuel cells being terminated. Caution in one. I'm in my clear. No unexpected errors. Copy. Flight two. We'll go to close and launch your visors. Initiate O2 flow. And enjoy your on orbit spring break. Roger that, sir. We'd like to say thanks to everybody who has got Columbia and asked me to fly. TLS is go for E-T-L-A-2 pressurization. We're utilizing the hydrogen tank on the external tank now. Replenishing the liquid hydrogen tank has been terminated. T-minus one minute 30 seconds. Standing by now to arm the sound suppression water system. T-minus one minute. Solar rocket booster joint heater is being turned off. Final check now of the booster commands. Locks and LH2 fill and drain valves are closed. Payload bay vent doors are positioned. Standing by to hand off to Columbia's computers. TLS is go for auto sequence start. And the hand off has occurred. Columbia's computers now controlling. Twenty. Firing chain is armed. Sound suppression water system activated. Rain safety systems armed. Seven. Nine. Eight. Seven. Ignition sequence start. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. And liftoff of space shuttle Columbia with the microgravity science laboratory. Our research bridge to the space benefits of tomorrow. Hope for that, Mr. Nice to roll, Columbia. Houston's now controlling. Columbia is rolling on course toward a 160 nautical mile high. Orbit inclined to 28.5 degrees to our sea equator. Columbia already traveling at 300 miles per hour. To two-thirds throttle to prepare the spacecraft to pass to the area of maximum air pressure and go supersonic. Altitude now two-and-a-half miles. One-and-a-half miles east of the launch pad. Columbia is traveling 650 miles per hour. One minute to 55 seconds since liftoff. Light controller is standing by. Next to a few seconds for burnout in Jettison at the twin solid rockets. Booster officer confirms good separation of the solid rockets. Columbia performance is nominal. The performance nominal. That call indicating that Columbia's performance as far as just is planned. Altitude now 34 miles. Columbia is traveling 3,000 miles per hour. 42 miles east of the Kennedy Space Center. Six-and-a-half minutes since launch. Two minutes to cut off of the main engines. Booster officer confirms cut off of the main engines. Columbia, we showed a nominal MECO. OMS-1 is not required. You have a go for the photo DTO. Copy, go for the DTO. TLS is go for auto sequence start. 25 seconds. Dabbing it. Dabbing. TLS is go for main engine start. Three engines. 100. 102, auto, auto. Three engines, 104. DFS engines are good. Program, Houston. 67. 30 seconds. Take check at Mach 1. OK, coming up. Dynamic pressure. Looking for 1.3. 30,000 feet. Mach 1.3. Three engines throttling, 104. Great. 50,000 feet coming up on Mach 2. Come here, go with throttle up. 35,000 feet. 90 seconds. Copy, thank you, Mike. The guy is getting started. The SRB's Mach 4. That's been 50. Pretty cool, huh? Dabbing. Impressive or what? 103 all around. All right. Green over second. ACO's converged. OK, we're off the SRB's. OK. Aquaria. Pretty well, huh? ACO confirmed. ACO confirmed. And we have 25. 8. 8. OK, gentlemen. Look at the ice. Copy. Stand by for my maneuver. Right. Copy, go for the DTO. 104 plus two seconds. OK, 87. And Columbia, Houston. Yes, Susan, you have a go to press that, to push that circuit breaker in. Houston, Columbia for tips activation. And good afternoon, Roger. Good to see you there. I'm coming up, but I'll relay. And welcome to Space Lab, Janice. Hi, there's a lot of space back here. This is Mission Control, Houston. We continue to take live video through the high-pack television system of the mid-deck area of Columbia. In view, astronauts Don Thomas and Greg Lanteris, who are working some photo documentation activities with one of the protein crystal growth experiments. Columbia is currently approaching the west coast of South America. We are live with you on TVC number one. And I wanted to ask you a question. We do see an image on the viewfinder above TVC number two, which we thought was inoperational. Can you confirm that you are seeing an image or if the quality of the image? We do have a good image up there, good quality image on TVC number two. The monitor is there. And when I came back from lunch, you know, it's just an hour and a half ago, that image is not there. So somehow we got it. And everything looks good on express. As you know, this is one of our premier facilities that we'll be flying on Space Station shortly in a few years here. And we'll have up to eight of these up on board at any given time. And this is the first checkout of them and everything is looking great on it so far. And we're really excited about flying actually pieces of the Space Station on our shuttle flight. We've got problem. FL-4 is complete. OK. We'll copy that, Greg. And when you're ready, I'll tell you what you're going to be doing. You can see the soot bank. Igniter's swung into position. Flame is there. We're way past the soot point. OK. We're going down. Oh, it looks like we're finding a soot point. Oh, no. We still can't find it. It's still sooting. And we're at the minimum flow rate. We almost made it. One or two more clicks and we would have been below the soot point. We have a blue region. I'll be with the pressure. You can press. In Columbia, we're two minutes to the LOS. We'll be back with you at 2154. And we'll be off the tail until about 2208. For DC, post test doesn't want to close. The only option under the little cursor thing is move. OK. Select sample. And that should do it. And then select yes. OK. Space Lab Huntsville for Janice. OK, Janice. To clear that message, put the cursor over the word please and press shift and the left mouse button. That will clear the message. And then we're working out a small procedure if you do an off nominal power down. OK. Did clear the message. Thanks. And I'll stand by. For the information that configuration you can see in the down link, the igniters are out and the needles are at the dispense position, the deploy position. And the power down switch two and one are now off. All the three circuit breakers are on. On the avionics package. What's our altitude? My altitude is 2,000 feet, 65 miles. And we're doing 18,000 miles an hour? Yeah, we're doing like 24.4. I heard 27 on the pad. Right on the money buddy. To call from mission control indicating that Columbia is right on course with its current speed and altitude and ground track all right on target for runway 33. This view from the Kennedy Space Center now showing Columbia as it approaches. Columbia's range to touch down now 68 miles. Actually 38 miles. Speed 790 miles per hour. Altitude 56,000 feet. The vehicle's been at about one G for the past minute or so as it flew basically a straight line to hack intercept. Now as it rolls onto the hack the G level will increase a little bit. It'll be about one, one and a half Gs. To the deconditioned bodies of the astronauts that one and a half Gs feels more like around three or four Gs had they been in condition. Columbia is now performing a right overhead turn to align with the runway with 150 degrees left to go in that turn. Columbia's altitude 19,500 feet. Speed 425 miles per hour. The canyx officer reports landing gears down and locked. Main gear touchdown. The canyx should deploy. The gear touchdown. From home your landing in the orbit look great. No post landing deltas. Thank you. Convoy vehicles now moving in toward Columbia. Columbia Houston we will be performing the hydraulic load test.