The seven-member flight crew also are due to fly to Florida from Houston during that same general timeframe. The astronauts' exact movements are being kept secret as part of increased security protocols begun after Sept. 11, 2001.

At the pad today, workers have finished pressurizing the onboard maneuvering engines and steering thruster systems. Doors to the shuttle's rear engine compartment are expected to be closed on Friday.

Our STS-107 launch coverage will begin Monday with the first of several mission preview stories planned for the week.

You can follow the 16-day flight by checking this page often. We will update this box at least twice a day, and post at least one story to this page every day. Previous updates can be found by clicking on the link below, and stories as they scroll off this page will be added to the STS-107 Mission Stories archive.

Countdown begins, crew arrives in Florida
Monday, Jan. 13, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. EST

Launch managers at the Kennedy Space Center have reported that Columbia's countdown has begun and that technically everything looks good for the planned launch on Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST.

Mission managers will meet again on Tuesday to discuss their overall readiness, with the only issue formally hanging out there the concern with the Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly, or BSTRA. A crack found in the BSTRA on another orbiter prompted an engineering investigation to make sure Columbia was safe to fly, even if it had the same problem.

The device helps support the flexing of propellant lines with the shuttle, and so far there are no indications that this engineering evaluation will be a showstopper for Columbia.

Weather officials say the skies are expected to look good on Thursday and predict a 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions. Emergency landing sites overseas and on the U.S. west coast all look good as well.

The weather is expected to turn bad on Friday with only a 40 percent chance of favorable conditions as a storm front moves in with clouds, rain and gusting winds. There also is a concern for bad weather at the emergency landing site in Zaragoza, Spain.

Technically, officials say Columbia will be able to make launch attempts on Thursday and Friday, and then must stand down for four days while many of the experiments inside the vehicle are refurbished.

The Eastern Range is particularly crowded during the next few weeks so if Columbia can't get off the ground this week the next attempt would probably come on Jan. 25. The range will be completely unavailable between Feb. 10 and March 4 while several upgrades are installed.

Meanwhile, the seven-member flight crew arrived in Florida Sunday night, flying to KSC from Houston together in a Shuttle Training Aircraft.

Stay tuned to this page throughout the week for updates. Our next update to this box is expected Tuesday morning.

Countdown begins, crew arrives in Florida
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. EST

The countdown continues without incident at Kennedy Space Center.

Officials reported this morning that there are no problems with the shuttle and the weather forecast remains nearly ideal for launch, with a 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

The publicized launch period on Thursday is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST. The exact launch window within that period will be announced on Wednesday, and because this mission is launching into Earth orbit -- and not to the space station -- the duration of the launch window will be 2.5 hours.

That duration is essentially based on the crew work day and the amount of time mission managers want the astronauts to spend on their backs wearing the cumbersome launch and entry suits.

The major work finished overnight was the loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into tanks that supply Columbia's electricity-generating fuel cells. An extra set of tanks located on a pallet in Columbia's cargo bay also were filled and will give the shuttle its 16-day mission capability.

Today the major task is loading last-minute experiment supplies into the SpaceHab module and shuttle middeck as they sit at the pad in a vertical position. The 20-hour job is a delicate one in which mountain-climbing and hang-gliding gear is combined to lower a technician into the module and install the hardware.

Mission managers will convene this afternoon for the L-minus Two Day flight readiness review and then meet with reporters afterward for the pre-flight press conference, which is planned for about 4 p.m. EST.

We will update this page later today at the conclusion of that briefing.

All systems still go for launch
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003 at 5:30 p.m. EST

Shuttle program managers will convene one more time on Wednesday to discuss Columbia's readiness to fly as it related to the issue about a crack that was discovered in a piece of hardware on another shuttle last month.

Shuttle program director Ron Dittemore wants to give engineers one more day to go through all their analysis and reports to make sure they didn't accidentally overlook anything that would change their minds about the safety of launching Columbia as planned on Thursday.

The crack is on a cue-ball-sized ball bearing in an assembly of structural members that allows the orbiter's plumbing to be flexible as supercold propellant is pumped through the lines. The crack was found inside Discovery but an inspection of Columbia is impossible at the launch pad.

Working on the assumption that Columbia's hardware is in the same worst-case condition, enginners have been studying what might happen and so far have been able to prove that even if the crack is present there is no risk to flying the shuttle as is.

Dittemore was given several opportunities to repeat himself during the press conference, stressing he is absolutely confident the shuttle is safe to fly and the astronauts are not in any additional risk because of this potential problem.

Nevertheless, there is time for one more round of checks of the paperwork and that is what Dittemore has ordered. The final meeting will be held at Kennedy Space Center at 9 a.m. EST Wednesday.

Meanwhile the countdown proceeds uneventfully and the weather forecast remains 95 percent go.

We will update this page again at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday.

NASA reveals launch time for Columbia
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 at 9:15 a.m. EST

Shuttle Columbia is counting down to launch at 10:39 a.m. EST (1539 GMT) on Thursday, NASA officials have announced.

The launch window will remain open for 2.5 hours -- a duration that is mostly dependent on the amount of time managers want the crew to stay in their launch and entry suits while laying on their backs.

That puts the close of the launch window at 1:09 p.m. EST (1809 GMT).

NASA will be able to make launch attempts Thursday and Friday, and then must stand down for four days so many of the experiments onboard can be refurbished.

Officials report this morning that the shuttle remains in good shape technically, and the weather forecast also continues to look good with a 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

Senior shuttle managers are meeting at this hour to finally put to rest the potential concerns about a cracked ball bearing recently found on another shuttle.

Because Columbia's hardware could not be inspected, officials have made the assumption that there is a problem with Columbia and then done the engineering analysis to prove it is still safe to fly.

Meanwhile, a spacewalk continues at the International Space Station this morning. It began at 7:50 a.m. EST and is planned to last about 6.5 hours. You can read updates on the spacewalk here, or follow along by watching NASA TV by clicking on the link above.

We will update this page again later this afternoon.

Launch day plan for Columbia
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 at 10:30 p.m. EST

Liftoff of shuttle Columbia remains set for the opening of a 2.5-hour launch window at 10:39 a.m. EST.

The upcoming 12 hours will see the usual timeline of tasks, with the next major event the filling of the external tank with its half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellant.

Preparations for that three-hour operation have already begun with the actual tanking set to start as early as 1:49 a.m. EST Thursday.

At that point an ice and debris inspection team will be sent out to the pad to make sure everything continues to look good for launch.

Countdown clocks will reach the T-minus three-hour mark at 7:19 a.m. EST, and almost immediately after that the crew is normally scheduled to depart their quarters for the launch pad -- although the exact movement of the seven-member team is being kept secret as a security measure.

NASA TV will begin broadcasting launch coverage at 7:30 a.m. EST.

We will provide frequent updates on the countdown throughout the morning. Our next update will come after we confirm the start of tanking around 2 a.m. EST.

Fueling operations begin
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 3:10 a.m. EST

Mission managers meeting at the Kennedy Space Center this morning have given their blessing to proceed with the launch attempt of shuttle Columbia today.

With that "go," engineers in the Launch Control Center have started to load Columbia's external tank with its half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellant, which are used to power the spaceplane's three Rocketdyne main engines during the climb to orbit.

The official start time was noted at 3:06 a.m. EST -- almost an hour later than planned but officials say the delay will have no consequence.

This process -- considered the second-most hazardous operation next to launch -- will take about three hours to complete, after which a team will be sent out to the pad to inspect the vehicle to make sure there is no unwanted build up of ice.

Once the tank is filled and everything is in a stable configuration, the seven-member flight crew will be given the nod to head out to the pad and begin boarding a little more than three hours before launch.

We will update this page again at 6 a.m. EST, sooner if events warrant.

Columbia's tank is full
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 6:10 a.m. EST

Shuttle Columbia's external tank is full of propellant and in what's called "stable replenish." As the supercold chemicals naturally boil off, a fresh supply of liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen is pumped into the tank.

It's the liquid oxygen boiling off that you see as white vapor coming from the top of the shuttle's tank and from exhaust ports in the main engines. Liquid hydrogen is channeled away and burned at the launch pad.

An ice and debris inspection team will spend the next couple of hours looking over everything and then report back to the launch director.

In about another hour or so the crew is expected to depart for the launch pad.

The weather here remains essentially ideal for a shuttle launch right on time at 10:39 a.m. EST.

We will update this page again at 7:30 a.m. EST.

Crew on its way to pad
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 7:30 a.m. EST

Columbia's seven astronauts are on their way out to the launch pad.

Once there it will take them about an hour to board the vehicle.

After that the hatch will be closed and checks for leaks in the crew cabin will be made.

Technically everything continues to look good for an on time launch at 10:39 a.m. EST, and the weather is basically perfect.

NASA TV has begun its live coverage of the launch and you can follow along by clicking above on the link to our feed.

We will next update this page at 9 a.m. EST, sooner if events warrant.

Astronauts onboard, all is well
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 9 a.m. EST

So far it continues to be a very clean countdown this morning as no technical problems have been reported and the weather is picture perfect.

All seven astronauts are aboard Columbia and strapped into their seats.

Communication checks between the crew and control centers here and in Houston are in work, and very soon the hatch will be shut and the crew cabin will be pressurized and checked for air leaks.

Meanwhile, the solid rocket booster recovery ships are reported to be on station in the Atlantic Ocean, and so far there are no reports of any major security problems either on space center property or off.

Liftoff remains set for 10:39 a.m. EST at the opening of a 2.5-hour window.

You can follow the countdown by watching our feed of NASA TV, which is available by clicking on the link above.

Our next update to this page will be at 10 a.m EST, sooner if events warrant.

Columbia buttoned up for launch
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 10 a.m. EST

Now less than an hour to the scheduled launch of shuttle Columbia and everything still looks good for an on time liftoff.

The astronauts are on board, the main crew hatch is closed and locked for flight, communication checks are complete and the crew cabin is being checked for leaks with no problems reported so far.

No technical or major security issues have been reported and the weather remains ideal.

Liftoff remains set for 10:39 a.m. EST at the opening of a 2.5-hour window.

Once the shuttle clears the tower, it will onto its back and head out over the Atlantic Ocean on a path just slightly north of due east, putting Columbia into an orbit inclined 39 degrees to the equator.

You can follow the countdown by watching our feed of NASA TV, which is available by clicking on the link above.

If you are in the local Space Coast area, you can hear SPACE.com's live launch coverage by tuning in either WMMB NewsTalk 1240 or 1350 AM, or Lite Rock 99.3 FM.

We will update this page again at 10:39 a.m. EST, hopefully to confirm launch.

Columbia lifts off
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 10:40 a.m. EST

Shuttle Columbia lifted off on its 28th mission right on time at 10:39 a.m. EST, beginning a 16-day science research mission that has been on the books for more than two years.

All three Rocketdyne main engines and both solid rocket boosters looked good during the first few moments of flight as the shuttle cleared the tower and rolled on its back to head downrange over the Atlantic Ocean.

The boosters will fire for about two minutes and then are to separate, while the mains continue burning for another 6.5 minutes until Columbia reaches orbital velocity of 17,500 mph.

After the shuttle and its seven-member crew safely reaches orbit, and the external tank is jettisoned, we will post our formal launch story to the site and then update this box again at 11:30 a.m. EST -- sooner if events warrant.

Shuttle safely arrives in orbit
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 11:30 a.m. EST

Columbia's seven-member crew safely arrived in Earth orbit after an on time launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 10:39 a.m. EST.

Since then they have jettisoned the external tank, shut down a few critical systems needed for launch and circularized their orbit by firing Columbia's maneuvering engines for about two minutes. The orbit is about 180 miles high.

Coming up in the next few hours is the opening of the payload bay doors, activation of the SpaceHab module and the start of a few science experiments.

SpaceHab is a commercial research laboratory module located in the cargo bay and connected to the crew cabin by a tunnel. Astronauts Ilan Ramon and Laurel Clark are to float down the tunnel, open the lab and turn on the lights beginning about 1:09 p.m. EST.

A couple of hours later the Blue Team of Willie McCool, David Brown and Mike Anderson will be heading to bed as the astronauts split up into two work shifts for the duration of the flight.

The Blue Team, who has been up since Wednesday afternoon, are to sleep for about six hours and then get up and prepare to take over science duties from the Red Team of Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Clark and Ramon beginning at 9:09 p.m. EST today.

The Red Team are scheduled to go to bed tonight at 9:39 p.m. EST.

Stay tuned to this page for updates throughout the mission. We will update this page again once the SpaceHab module is opened up.

SpaceHab activated as crew settles in
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 7 p.m. EST

Following shuttle Columbia's successful launch this morning, the seven-member crew are starting to settle into the routine they will follow for the next 16 days.

Soon after opening up the cargo bay doors, astronauts Ilan Ramon and Kalpana Chawla floated down the connecting tunnel and began activating the double research module and starting several of the dozens of science experiments to be performed during the flight.

Mission Control in Houston reports that everything is going well in orbit and the astronauts remain on the timeline.

At 9:09 p.m. EST today the Blue Team of Willie McCool, David Brown and Mike Anderson -- who went to bed right after launch -- will be awakened to take over operations from the Red Team of Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Chawla and Ramon, who are to head for bed at 9:39 p.m. EST.

This pattern will continue for the rest of the flight with the Blue Team working overnight and the Red Team working the day shift Houston time.

We will update this page again at 11 p.m. EST, sooner if events warrant.

Blue shift takes charge for first time
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 11 p.m. EST

Columbia's Blue Team of Willie McCool, David Brown and Mike Anderson are awake after a six-hour sleep period and began their first full shift of science operations at 10:09 p.m. EST -- a half-hour later than originally planned as a one-time gift from Mission Control.

The Red Team of Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon began their sleep period at 10:39 p.m. EST. They will return to duty at 10:09 a.m. EST Friday.

During this overnight shift the Blue Team will continue setting up the SpaceHab module and other research and exercise hardware, as well as configure the shuttle's various laptops into an orbiting computer network.

Science investigations planned for the next 12 hours include:

--Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System, a suite of monitoring instruments and supplies used to study the heart, lungs, and metabolism.

--Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment, the Israeli experiment studying dust particles in Earth's atmosphere.

--Space Technology and Research Students, a set of six commercial experiments that involve spiders, silkworms, fish, bees, ants and crystal growth,

--LEUKIN, a European Space Agency biology experiment studying lymphocytes.

There are no major problems reported with Columbia, although one channel of the shuttle's high-speed Ku-band communication system is acting up a bit.

Our next update to this page will come at 10 a.m. EST Friday.

Red Team gets to work early
Friday, Jan. 17, 2003 at 10 a.m. EST

Columbia's Red Team of Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon were awakened at 5:39 a.m. EST and after some general post-sleep activity got to work much earlier than their planned 10:09 a.m. EST handover from the Blue Team, who are scheduled to begin their sleep period at 11:39 a.m. EST.

As the SpaceHab module and science operations become fully operational, the acronyms are really beginning to fly as the crew works from 86 payloads supporting 79 science experiments. Among those the Red Team will work on for the rest of today:

--Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment, an instrument in the payload bay that looks at sunlight scattered in Earth's atmosphere from an extreme slant angle to measure ozone.

--Zeolite Crystal Growth, a furnace aimed at creating larger zeolite crystals, which are as hard as rocks but work like sponges. Such crystals could be used to safely store hydrogen for use as an everyday fuel instead of petroleum.

--Mechanics of Granular Materials, an experiment that studies water-saturated columns of sand under pressure in the absence of gravity. Information learned could help construct more earthquake-proof buildings or more solid foundations in sandy soil.

--BONES, a European Space Agency biology experiment studying bone cells and skeletal tissue in microgravity.

--Bioreactor Demonstration System, an experiment to see if there is a connection between certain types of bone cells and prostrate cancer.

--Astroculture, a plant growing experiment in which researchers hope to create a new fragrance from a flower for potential commercial use in products such as perfume or lotions.

--Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, a Canadian Space Agency experiment that studies how certain drug agents affect bone cell activity.

--Commercial Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. Biomedical Experiments, a suite 20 experiments involving protein crystal growth, the microencapsulation of drugs, cancer research and other crystal growing efforts.

--Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System, a suite of monitoring instruments and supplies used to study the heart, lungs, and metabolism.

--Physiology and Biochemistry Team, a set of four experiments.

--Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment, the Israeli experiment studying dust particles in Earth's atmosphere.

--Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments, a study of the human immune system.

We will post our daily story to this page late this afternoon and next update this box at 11 p.m. EST, earlier if events warrant.

Columbia's Blue Team working the 'night shift'
Friday, Jan. 17, 2003 at 11 p.m. EST

Shuttle Columbia's Blue Team is pressing forward with their mission ofaround-the-clock science. The Blue Team - pilot Willie McCool and mission specialists Dave Brown and Mike Anderson- were awakened at 7:39 p.m. EST to continue work on the 80-plus experiments aboard Columbia.

With the SpaceHab module and science operationsnow fully operational, the list of acronyms for the host of experiments onboardcontinues to grow as the crew works from 86 payloads supporting 79 science experiments. Among those theBlue Team will work on tonight:

--MEIDEX or Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment - an Earth observation experiment consisting of a radiometric camera and a video camera, to measure a Mediterranean dust plume north of the Gulf ofSidra.

--ARMS or Advanced Respiratory Monitoring Syste - a suite of monitoring instruments andsupplies used to study the heart, lungs, and metabolism. Many experiments sponsored by theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) will be conducted using ARMS during the mission.

--PCBA or Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer - a system for in-vitro analysis of fresh whole blood. The PCBA is designed to deliver quantitative results for a panel of tests in approximately 90 seconds on a single, small sample of blood.

--PhAB4, which stands for Physiology and Biochemistry. Mission specialist Mike Anderson describes PhAB4 an a series of experiments "... where we're looking at the human body. We're trying to understand more about the human body, how it works, and how it reacts to the microgravity environment."

The Blue Team will work on their experiments until about 7:04 a.m. EST Saturday whenthey will be relieved by the Red Team of Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark andIsraeli astronaut Ilan Ramon. The Blue Team will begin a scheduled sleep periodat 10:39 a.m. EST Saturday.

All systems aboard Columbia continue to function well.

We will next update this box Saturday morning at 10 a.m. EST, earlier if events warrant.

Recycled urine and wastewater on tap today
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003 at 10:15 a.m. EST

The four-member Red Team is back on duty for their Flight Day 3 program of science experiments, routine checks of various systems and the usual housekeeping chores that go with living and working in space.

Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon are to remain on duty until 8:09 p.m. EST and then head for bed at 9:39 p.m. EST.

The team will be working on about a dozen experiments, according to the flight plan. All but one have already been mentioned in these updates.

The new one today is the Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment -- a full-scale demonstration of technologybeing developed to recycle crewmember urine and wastewater aboard the International Space Station.

If successful the hardware will reduce the amount of water that must be delivered to the station with each shuttle or Progress supply mission.

And if all goes well, an operational urine processor is to be installed in Node 3 of the space station in 2005, according to a NASA fact sheet.

Another event to look forward to today is the crew's first media interview opportunity with a trio of news organizations at 3:04 p.m. EST. You can watch that broadcast live on our feed of NASA TV by clicking on the link above.