The Virtual Launch Control Center was activated at
8:15 p.m. EDT July 7, 2003

The Virtual Launch Control Center was deactivated at 12:46 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2003

Thank you for joining our live coverage of NASA's historic Opportunity mission to the red planet.

Did you know?
The big science question for the Mars Exploration Rover "MER" missions is how past water activity on Mars has influenced the planet's environment over time and whether or not the past environment was suitable for life. While there is no liquid water on the surface of Mars today, the record of past water activity on Mars can be found in the rocks, minerals and geologic landforms, particularly in those that can only form in the presence of water.

All times are in EDT unless otherwise stated.

12:43 a.m. - The spacecraft's signal and telemetry has been acquired! Cheers have erupted at Kennedy Space Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

12:41:24 a.m. - Spacecraft separation! Standing by for acquisition of the spacecraft's signal.

12:36:11 a.m. - Third engine cutoff.

12:34:47 a.m. - Third stage start.

12:33 a.m. - Second secondary engine cutoff.

12:30 a.m. - Second stage re-ignition.

12:25 a.m. - Kwajalein atoll has aquired telemetry on the rocket.

12:15 a.m. - 56 minutes 26 seconds into flight, all systems are performing as expected.

11:27 p.m. - Secondary engine cutoff. The rocket has reached orbit.

11:22:59 p.m. - Stage 2 ignition.

11:22:37 p.m. - Main engine cutoff.

11:21 p.m. - Burn out of motors and solid rocket jettison.

11:18:16 p.m. - .....10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, main engine start, 0 and liftoff of the Delta rocket with Opportunity - a chance to explore and unlock the secrets of our neighboring planet."

11:14:15 p.m. - Coming out of T-4 hold.

11:12 p.m. - Spacecraft is on internal power.

11:10 p.m. - The fill and drain valve is tested three more times.

11:07 p.m. - The NASA Launch Manager polls the team and gets a "all's ready for launch."

11:04 p.m. - The fill and drain valve is tested six times and is functioning correctly.

10:58 p.m. - The fill and drain valve is being tested with two sets of three cycles each. The test is required to make sure the valve is functioning correctly.

10:45 p.m. - The launch team is troubleshooting the fill and drain valve problem. Launch is reset for the second window. If all goes well the countdown will resume at T-4 minutes.

10:35 p.m. - Count is halted! Launch is recycled because of a problem with a fill and drain valve on the Delta II first stage.

10:31:23 p.m. - Coming out of the T-4 hold.

10:29 p.m. - The spacecraft is on internal power.

10:27 p.m. - The Mission Director is polling the launch team in a final Launch Readiness Poll. All team members are go.

10:24 p.m. - The NASA Launch Manager is polling the launch team in a final Launch Readiness Poll. All team members are go.

10:21 p.m. - The countdown has entered a 10-minute 23-second built-in hold at T-4 minutes.

10:18 p.m. - The facility water tanks are pressurized.

10:05 p.m. - The countdown has resumed at T-20 minutes and counting.

9:57:18 p.m. - The NASA Launch Manager polls his team for a go/no-go to proceed with the Terminal Count. At 9:59:33 p.m. Mission Director is polling their teams for a go/no-go to proceed with the Terminal Count. All team members report they are ready.

9:45 p.m. - The countdown has entered a 20-minute built-in hold at T-20 minutes and counting.

9:37 p.m. - Engines gimballing (also referred to as slew) begins. First is the the "coast slew," then the "first stage slew." The engines are gimballed on an x-y plane, back and forth. Gimballing concluded in 5 minutes.

9:31 p.m. - The Boeing Delta Chief Engineer (David Crosse) is providing a winds assessment. Winds assessment showed good to go.

8:51:33 p.m. - At T-75 minutes and counting, the Delta II heavy rocket is being loaded with supercold liquid oxygen. As the liquid oxygen gets loaded the vehicle seems to change color from blue to white. The fueling concluded 29 minutes later at 9:20 p.m..

8:38:54 p.m. - The NASA Launch Manager and Mission Director are conducting polls for a go/no-go for cryogenic tanking.

8:30 p.m. - The Launch Weather Officer is holding a weather briefing, We are going to attempt first launch opportunity at 11:18:15 p.m. EDT. Chance of weather violation is 10%.

8:00 p.m. - Loading of 9,988 gallons RP-1 (highly refined kerosene) fuel into the Delta II heavy rocket began. Loading was completed in 19 minutes and 10 seconds.

7:35 p.m. - The Terminal Count has begun at T-150 minutes and counting. The warning horn sounds three times at the launch pad and it is announced "All personnel clear the SLC-17."

7:26 a.m. - The Launch Conductor (Bob Godin) is holding a general launch briefing. Weather status given as 20 percent chance of a launch constraint.

7:23 p.m. - The NASA Launch Manager (Omar Baez) and Boeing Mission Director (Rich Murphy) are conducting polls for a go/no-go to initiate the Terminal Countdown at T-150 minutes. All team members have given a "go."