Space Shuttle Status Report (11 a.m. EST)

MISSION: STS-103 – 3rd Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission

VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103

LOCATION: Pad 39B

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: December 16 at 9:18 p.m. EST

TARGET LANDING DATE/TIME: December 26 at about 6:56 p.m. EST

LAUNCH WINDOW: 41 minutes

MISSION DURATION: about 9 days and 21 hours

CREW: Brown, Kelly, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld, Nicollier, Clervoy

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 317 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

Work in progress: The launch countdown for STS-103 began on schedule today
at 1:30 a.m. Yesterday, workers completed aft compartment close-outs and
Discovery’s aft confidence test concluded last night. Current weather
forecasts call for scattered to broken clouds at 3,000 feet and scattered
clouds at 25,000 feet; visibility of 7 miles; winds from the north at 12
peaking to 20 knots; temperature at 52 degrees F; relative humidity at 69
percent; and no chance of showers. Weather officials indicate an 80 percent
chance of favorable weather conditions for launch attempts on Thursday or
Friday. By Saturday, the forecast declines to a 70 percent chance of
favorable weather.

Processing Milestones:

Cryogenics loaded in Discovery’s onboard storage tanks (Dec. 15)

Rotating Service Structure moved to park position (Dec. 16
at 3:45 a.m.)

MISSION: STS-99 – Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)

VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105

LOCATION: Pad 39A

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: January (under review)

TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: (under review)

LAUNCH WINDOW: 54 minutes

MISSION DURATION: 11 days and 4 hours

CREW: Kregel, Gorie, Kavandi, Voss, Mohri, Thiele

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 126 nautical miles/57 degrees

Work in progress: Space Shuttle Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39A
yesterday at about 12:30 p.m. Launch pad validations are under way and an
auxiliary power unit hot fire test is scheduled today.