Expendable Vehicles and Spacecraft Status Report 6 Mar 2002

MISSION: TDRS-I (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin ATLAS IIA (AC-143)

LAUNCH PAD: 36-A Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

LAUNCH DATE: March 8, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 5:39 – 6:19 p.m. EST

SPACECRAFT CURRENT LOCATION: Pad 36-A

The Flight Readiness Review for TDRS-I was completed on Monday,
March 4 and launch preparations are on schedule for a liftoff on Friday.
Also on Monday, the RP1 fuel, a highly refined kerosene, was loaded aboard
the Atlas first stage followed by installation of launch vehicle ordnance
and the loading of reactants into the hypergolic systems. Closeouts of the
Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA vehicle and the TDRS-I spacecraft are scheduled
for Thursday, Mar. 7. Also on Thursday, a final management review, the
Launch Readiness Review, will be held at KSC.

The countdown will begin at 8:49 a.m. on Friday morning. The gantry
will be pulled back from around the Atlas launch vehicle at 2:26 p.m.
Loading of the Liquid Oxygen aboard the Centaur stage will begin at 3:53
p.m. Atlas stage liquid oxygen loading begins at 4:19 p.m. Finally, the
liquid hydrogen will be loaded aboard the Centaur stage beginning at 4:33
p.m. A 15-minute built in hold is planned to occur at the T-5 minute mark
leading to launch at 5:39 p.m. EST.

MISSION: Aqua EOS-PM (Earth Observing System Aqua Observatory)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: DELTA II 7920-10L

LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base

LAUNCH DATE: April 18, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 2:54:58 – 3:04:58 a.m. PDT

The Aqua spacecraft is at the Spaceport Systems International
(SSI) payload processing facility located on South Vandenberg Air Force
Base. Battery charging and spacecraft testing has begun. Connection of the
Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) has been completed in preparation
for the upcoming Comprehensive Performance Test of the spacecraft.

At Space Launch Complex 2, the Delta first stage was erected on
Monday, Feb. 25. Erection of the nine solid rocket boosters was completed
on Thursday, Feb. 28. The second stage was hoisted into position atop the
first stage on Friday, March 1. Initial electrical, mechanical and
propulsion system leak checks are underway this week.

MISSION: NOAA-M Polar Orbiter

LAUNCH VEHICLE: USAF Titan II

LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 4 West, Vandenberg Air Force Base

LAUNCH DATE: June 25, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:22 – 11:32 a.m. PDT

The NOAA-M spacecraft is at the Lockheed Martin plant in
Sunnyvale, Calif. and is tentatively planned for shipment to Vandenberg on
April 26. The spacecraft will be processed at NASA spacecraft hangar 1610
on North Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Erection of the Titan II/G-14 booster for NOAA-M will take place
on April 1 after routine corrosion control and maintenance is completed at
the launch pad during March.