WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The STS-76 astronauts enjoy a late-night lunch in the Operations and Checkout Building. From left are Mission Specialist Linda M. Godwin; Pilot Richard A. Searfoss; Mission Commander Kevin P. Chilton; Mission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid; Payload Commander Ronald M. Sega; and Mission Specialist Michael Richard "Rich" Clifford. The veteran flight crew's daily schedule has been adjusted to prepare them for one of the primary objectives of their upcoming spaceflight: rendezvous and docking with the Russian Space Station Mir. Accordingly, the crew's waking hours are occurring at night, and they arose today around 4:30 in the afternoon. After receiving a weather briefing, they will don their launch/entry suits and head for Launch Pad 39B, where the Space Shuttle Atlantis is undergoing final preparations for liftoff during an approximately seven-minute window currently set to open around 3:13 a.m. EST, March 22. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes beforehand based on the most current location of Mir.