STS-104 Liftoff Status Page

Click here to see the launch countdown clock

Click here to follow the shuttle's progress after liftoff

Click here for the Space Shuttle Status Reports

KSC Live Video Feeds

Shuttle Atlantis Launch Status

July 12, 2001 5:04 a.m. EDT. 10 min window. Tanking operations were completed at 10:35 p.m. EDT. At 4:55 a.m., the countdown clock came out of the T-minus 9 minute hold and entered the final count. The Crew Access Arm was retracted at 4:56 a.m. EDT. Launch occured at the opening of the launch window.

On Sunday evening, July 8, the flight crew for mission STS-104 arrived to begin final preparation for their upcoming launch. Space Shuttle Atlantis. Over the weekend, workers completed orbiter aft compartment closeouts. Technicians also successfully replaced and retested an orbiter mass memory unit and a TV monitor on the aft flight deck launch window. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/09/2001)

On Wednesday, June 20, 2001, following a go ahead from Shuttle management, KSC workers began rolling Space Shuttle Atlantis out of the VAB at about 2:30 a.m. today. When weather officials noted the threat of lightning in the vicinity of the Launch Complex 39 area, managers returned Atlantis to the VAB as a safety precaution. Atlantis has been rescheduled for rollout to Launch Pad 39B at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, June 21. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/20/2001)

On Tuesday, June 19, 2001, Space Shuttle and International Space Station managers agreed to proceed with plans to launch Space Shuttle Atlantis no earlier than July 12. The official launch date will be announced after the Flight Readiness Review scheduled for June 28. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test is scheduled for June 28-29 at KSC. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/20/2001)

On Thursday, May 31, 2001, NASA managers announced that Space Shuttle Atlantis will not launch before early July. The additional time will enable the International Space Station Program time to evaluate a problem with the Station's new robot arm. Shuttle and Station managers will reconvene in mid-June to assess a new launch date. The Flight Readiness Review has been postponed with a new date to be announced. Orbiter Atlantis rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) last night, and workers are preparing to mate the orbiter to the external tank in VAB high bay 1. Once fully stacked, the Space Shuttle will remain in the VAB until a new rollout date is selected. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/31/2001)

Managers announced a target launch date of no earlier than June 8 for Atlantis' next flight on mission STS-104. This shift accommodates an on orbit sun angle condition between May 18 and June 7. This so-called beta angel cut-out is an undesirable thermal condition for Shuttle/ISS docking operations. Previous launch date was no earlier than February 8, 2001. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/25/2001)

STS-104 Movies and Images

STS-104 KSC Electronic Photo Archive
STS-104 KSC Electronic Movie Archive

Note:

The image on this page is from an NTSC video capture that is updated every minute from the T-5 hour mark on the countdown until launch. At all other times, the view is either connected to the NASA TV (NTV) feed (Click here for Video Advisories) or it is a static video capture of an Orbiter Television (OTV) camera that is updated a few times a day. If you have a WWW browser that caches images, you may need to select "Reload" periodically to see these images change. You may also want to look into getting your own live NASA Television Feed by loading CU-SeeMe on your system.

STS-104 Countdown Last Mission STS-100 Next Mission STS-105

---

Developed under the direction of the NASA KSC Public Affairs Office
Author: Jim Dumoulin (dumoulin@titan.ksc.nasa.gov) / NASA - Payload Operations
Last Updated: Wednesday August 1 13:49:58 EDT 2001(J.Dumoulin)

A service of NASA/Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Office, Joe Gordon Jr.,Director (Joseph.Gordon-1@ksc.nasa.gov)