Space Shuttle Status Report 22 August 2000

NOTE: This is an orbiter processing report and does not reflect the chronological order of upcoming Space Shuttle flights. Visit http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm on the KSC Home Page for the latest schedule of future Shuttle missions.

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: Launch Pad 39B
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 8, 2000 at 8:45 a.m. EDT (preferred launch time)
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Sept. 19, 2000 at 4:59 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 1/2 minutes
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 20 hours and 14 minutes
• CREW: Wilcutt, Altman, Lu, Malenchenko, Morukov, Mastracchio, Burbank
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: KSC entered Hurricane Condition IV today as a precaution for Hurricane Debby. This is the first level of hurricane preparedness to assure all necessary supplies and equipment are on hand in the event KSC is threatened with 50-knot sustained winds. A decision will be made Wednesday morning whether to upgrade this status to the next level of hurricane preparedness. Because Hurricane Debby is still too far away to accurately determine its ultimate course or impact to central Florida, no decision to rollback Space Shuttle Atlantis will be made before Wednesday.

At the launch pad, technicians have completed efforts to mate the SPACEHAB tunnel inside orbiter Atlantis and payload interface verification testing is ongoing. The Helium Signature Test continues today. Further Shuttle processing will continue on schedule with prelaunch propellant loading beginning tomorrow, pending management’s decision on hurricane preparedness.

Milestones:
Prelaunch propellant loading of orbiter storage tanks – Aug. 23
Orbiter aft compartment close-outs begin – Aug. 28
Orbiter payload bay doors closed for flight – Aug. 30
Space suit functional testing – Aug. 30

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 3
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Oct. 5, 2000 at 9:30 p.m. EDT
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Oct. 16, 2000 at about 5 p.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 11 days
• CREW: Duffy, Melroy, Wakata, Chiao, Wisoff, Lopez-Alegria, McArthur
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Following yesterday’s transfer from OPF bay 1 to OPF bay 3, orbiter Discovery remains mounted to the orbiter transporter inside OPF bay 3. The orbiter is being temporarily stored in bay 3 while modifications begin in bay 1. Pending completion of ongoing payload and ground processing assessments, orbiter Discovery will move to the VAB no earlier than Thursday to be mated with the external tank and boosters. KSC managers will continue to monitor weather developments in the tropics while planning the remainder of Discovery’s processing flow.

At the Space Station Processing Facility, engineers working on the Z-1 truss have removed the thermostat heater assemblies associated with each of the four control moment gyros. The heater assemblies were sent to the manufacturer for adjustments to assure their reliable and proper operation at extremely cold temperatures. At this time, the Z-1 truss is scheduled to be transported to the launch pad during the second week of September. No impact to the Oct. 5 launch date is anticipated.

• VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
• LOCATION: OPF bay 2
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 30, 2000 at 10:48 p.m.
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 10, 2000 at time TBD
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days
• CREW: Jett, Bloomfield, Tanner, Noriega, Garneau
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Functional tests of Endeavour’s docking mechanism are complete. Standard rigging work continues on the orbiter’s right hand external tank umbilical door. Endeavour’s thermal protective “chin panel” is being installed beneath the orbiter’s nose.