Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building orbiter Atlantis is lifted toward a vertical position in the transfer aisle.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, orbiter Atlantis is lifted toward a vertical position in the transfer aisle. The 122-foot long orbiter is easily accommodated inside the 525-foot-tall, 518-foot-wide VAB. Once in position, Atlantis will be mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters before being transported to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000