 From the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this is Space Shuttle Columbia Launch Control. The countdown for launch of Columbia on Space Shuttle mission STS-73 is continuing on schedule this morning. The window for launch of Columbia opens at 9.50 a.m. Eastern time and extends for two and a half hours. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus three hours and holding and all seven of our astronauts who are planning on flying this morning are present and accounted for at breakfast. Everything continues to run smooth and with the vehicle and all of the astronauts have been awakened and they're on schedule. We have Katherine Thornton, mission specialist, as well as payload specialist, Fred Leslie, Albert Sacco. This is our pilot, Kent Rominger, who'll be flying for his first time today. Seated next to him is mission specialist Michael Lopez, I'll agree making his first flight into space today. Seated next to him is our commander Ken Bauersox, the commander of this seven-person crew making his third flight into space today. And to round out the crew, we have Fred Leslie, payload specialist, as well as the third mission specialist Katherine Coleman. All crew appear to be alert and ready to fly, make this final attempt we hope at launching Columbia today. This is shuttle launch control at T-minus three hours and holding and we have live TV coverage of the crew donning their flight suits in the crew quarters. Commander Ken Bauersox is again suiting up for this attempt to launch today. Commander Bauersox was a pilot on STS-50, the first United States microgravity laboratory and most recently served as pilot on STS-61, the first Hubble space telescope servicing mission. He's been joined by his pilot, Kent Rominger, who is a highly decorated Navy pilot whose last assignment with the Navy was during a desert storm where he served as operations officer for fighter squadron 211 aboard the USS Nimitz in the Arabian Gulf. Fred Leslie is one of our two payload specialists who will be flying today. He's making his first trip into space. Leslie holds a world record as a participant in the 200-person freefall formation as a skydiver. He's an avid skydiver that occurred back in 1992. The crew members are being assisted with their launch and entry suits by suit technicians from both Kennedy Space Center and the Johnson Space Center. Michael Lopez Alagria was born in Madrid, Spain, grew up in California and has been a naval aviator since 1981. These suits are partially inflated to allow for added comfort and protection. Mission specialist Kathy Coleman preparing to make her first trip into space today. She was born in South Carolina and she's done some research for the Air Force and set endurance and tolerance records as a test subject in the centrifuge program. Albert Sacco, one of our two payload specialists born in Massachusetts. He'll be working with the Crystal Growth Experiments aboard this space shuttle mission. This will be his first space flight. Payload Commander Catherine Thornton, the most experienced as far as space flight goes. This is her, she's preparing for her fourth flight today. Again she will be the payload commander aboard this mission. She's been an astronaut since 1984 and she's flown on missions STS-33, STS-49 and she was a spacewalk specialist aboard STS-61, the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission. This is shuttle launch control, T minus three hours and holding and we have live TV coverage of our seven crew members who will be flying aboard space shuttle Columbia this morning. Again they're coming out of their crew quarters getting onto the elevator which will take them down to the Astrovan. Commander Bauer socks with payload commander Catherine Thornton followed by the rest of the crew member preparing for their drive out to the pad and for their greatly anticipated launch today. But at this time everything continues to operate properly and no technical issues are being worked and we're just a few seconds from coming out of our hold at T minus three hours and we are at T minus three hours and counting. This is shuttle launch control at T minus two hours 43 minutes and counting. The crew has arrived at the pad and they are in the process now of entering the vehicle. Commander Ken Bauer socks is preparing for his third mission aboard space shuttle. Commander Ken Bauer socks has entered the vehicle and now preparations are being made to assist Albert Sacco in entering the vehicle. He is one of two payload specialists preparing to fly today. Preparing next to enter the vehicle is pilot Kent Romminger on his first trip into space. Next to enter the vehicle is Kathy Thornton. She is the payload commander for mission STS-73 and a veteran of three shuttle missions. Catherine Coleman, or mission specialist one, is a captain in the air force and preparing for her first flight into space. This is shuttle launch control at T minus two hours nine minutes and counting. Five of the seven astronauts are already on board the space shuttle Columbia. Fred Leslie at this time is preparing to make his way aboard the orbiter. He is one of two payload specialists on this 16-day mission and is responsible for the fluid-fluo experiments in the space lab. At this time Michael Lopez Alegria is preparing to board the vehicle. He will serve as the flight engineer on this mission. This is shuttle launch control at T minus 48 minutes and counting and we have a live video live TV of the shuttle training aircraft departing the shuttle landing facility being piloted by astronaut Bob Cabana and he will remain aloft in this shuttle training aircraft through the duration of this count today and through launch. This is shuttle launch control. We are at T minus 20 minutes and counting. I copy what I'll give you nine seven one. They're conducting a poll for a continuation of the count through launch. payload director payloads ago Jim copy engineering director Jim engineering is go copy SNA director Jim obviously until we get the rain spring resolved we're no go copy that range weather all constraints are green copy that Columbia as soon as we get this problem cleared up with a rain I think we'll be in a configuration where we can launch today so have a good flight and we'll see you back here in a few days. This is shuttle launch control at T minus nine minutes and holding with just under 40 seconds remaining in our hold and those words from launch director Jim Harrington to NASA test director John Guidi that we will pick up the count at T minus nine minutes on time and if we don't have word from the range that they have resolved their problem then we will hold at T minus five minutes until that problem is resolved all weather issues have been cleared we're not working any weather concerns at this point either from a launch standpoint or a return to a launch site landing abort point we are four minutes away from picking up the count T minus nine minutes and counting T minus nine minutes and counting we're in the process now of retracting the orbiter access arm that permits the crew to enter and depart from the orbiter Columbia you have a range for the launch we are go I copy thank you launch director entity you're clear to launch copy thank you all stations will pick up the count momentarily PLS pick up the count on your mark give us copies onto a zoom on my mark give us and we're at T minus five minutes and counting we have a go for APU start no problems are being reported from the crew and initiate oh too slow this test team has worked really hard to get you to this point it's your turn for a great 16-day mission close no visors and we can't wait to get to work you'll have to go for EP LH2 participation T minus one minute 45 seconds and counting launch operations continue to go well this morning as the space shuttle Columbia soon will begin its 16-day mission to continue microgravity research T minus one minute 30 seconds T minus 60 seconds and counting T minus 50 seconds and counting and we are transferring to orbiter internal power at this time Columbia is now running off its three onboard fuel cells coming up for a go for auto sequence start and we have a go for auto sequence start Columbia's Columbia's onboard computers have primary control of all the vehicle's critical functions 20 T minus 15 seconds 12 10 9 8 7 we have a go for main engine start 5 4 3 2 1 and lift off lift off of the space shuttle Columbia kind of putting scientific knowledge through microgravity research used to now controlling Columbia underway on its 18th trip to space rolling on course for a 172 mile high 39 degree inclination orbit Columbia's altitude 15 000 feet three engines on board Columbia are now throttling back to two-thirds throttle to prepare the spacecraft to pass through the area of maximum air pressure and go supersonic Columbia's speed now 800 miles per hour altitude 34 000 feet three nautical miles down range from the launch pad Columbia go ahead throttle up oh we heard you that time playing go ahead throttle three main engines on Columbia now back at full throttle Columbia is now airborne for one and a half minutes it's burned almost two and a quarter million pounds of propellant already weighing less than half of what it did at launch three main engines on Columbia working well at full throttle good hydraulic systems good electrical systems altitude now 100 000 feet 14 miles down range from the launch pad Columbia traveling 2800 miles per hour fly controls are standing by for burnout in separation of the twin solid rocket first stage of coming in just about eight seconds good solid rocket booster separation is confirmed Columbia now on its three main engines second stage altitude 185 000 feet 38 nautical miles down range from the launch pad Columbia traveling at 3500 miles per hour continuing in a steep climb Columbia performance nominal performance nominal that call to the spacecraft indicates that performance of the first stage solid rockets was just as planned two engine Ben Gurir and a Columbia can now perform an emergency transatlantic landing at Ben Gurir Morocco if required all systems continue to be go altitude 250 000 feet down range from Kennedy Space Center about 65 nautical miles tax well we'll let you know