WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Greeted by cheers from wellwishers at KSC and eager for their venture into space on the fifth Shuttle-Mir docking mission, the STS-81 astronauts depart the Operations and Checkout Building and board the Astrovan for their 25-minute trip to Launch Pad 39B. Leading the six-member crew is Mission Commander Michael A. Baker, followed by Pilot Brent W. Jett, Jr. Behind them are Mission Specialists John M. Grunsfeld, Jerry Linenger, Peter J. K. "Jeff" Wisoff, and Marsha S. Ivins. Once at the pad, they will take their positions in the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Atlantis to await a liftoff during a seven-minute window that will open at 4:27 a.m. EST, January 12.