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Viewed down the 715- foot-long Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis is lifted to a vertical position in the transfer aisle. The 82-foot high orbiter is dwarfed by 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 Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000.