[ Featuring Nino Morro ]
[Music intro]
STUDIO PRESENTER:
Welcome back to our special report on the launch of PhoenixM19. We are but moments away from witnessing history in the making. If you are just joining us, we ve already witnessed the crew enter the shuttle, and the fuelling process has now begun.
We are now seeing pictures of the live feed from the mission control centre inside WSA, as teams of system engineers and support personnel continue to closely monitor final system checks and protocol measures prior to launch.
[Background checks]
The voice that you can hear is that of Commander David Gibson communicating with the ground team. Joining him: Alexander Richards, mission specialist; Sue Hurley, payload specialist; Peter Robertson, second command pilot; and Axel Thomas, flight engineer.
We now join Caitlin Thomas, who is on scene at the WSA launch site.
REPORTER:
[Cheerful background crowd noises]
Yes, hello, Bill. We are just moments away from perhaps the most exciting space mission in the history of mankind. You can just see the launch pad behind me in the distance, surrounded by plumes of white vapour from the cryogenic boosters. And if we turn slightly in this direction, you ll notice behind me that there are thousands of people lining the roads leading up to the WSA, all with their binoculars and flags out to see this historic moment. You can feel the excitement and apprehension as we enter the final preparations before launch.
We are told that the conditions are right. There was a slight concern earlier this morning that the strong winds and electrical storms could have delayed the launch yet again, but the green light has been given and it will be underway very soon.
STUDIO PRESENTER:
Thank you, Caitlin. We will shortly be hearing a presidential address, following the launch. But in the meantime, Professor Simon Jones, from the Imperial Space Programme, joins me here in the studio .
[ENDS]
