Status Report

Launch Countdown for Shuttle Mission STS-108 Begins Nov. 26

By SpaceRef Editor

November 26, 2001

Filed under Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle, US

NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour
on mission STS-108 Nov. 26 at 11 p.m. EST at the T-43 hour mark. This
mission marks the 12th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and
the 6th Shuttle mission this year. The KSC launch team will conduct the
countdown from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.

The countdown includes 25 hours and 39 minutes of built-in hold time
leading to a preferred launch time at about 7:41 p.m. on Nov. 29 with a
launch window of about 5 minutes. The exact location of the orbiting
International Space Station (ISS) will be determined during the T-9 minute
built-in hold. The flight director will at that time determine the exact
time of launch.

Mission STS-108 is the 17th flight of the orbiter Endeavour and the 107th
flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle program. STS-108 is scheduled to last
about 11 days with a planned KSC landing at about 3:16 p.m. on Dec. 10.

Endeavour rolled into KSC’s Orbiter Processing Facility on May 10,
2001, after completing mission STS-100. The orbiter rolled out of OPF bay 1
and into the Vehicle Assemble Building on Oct. 24. While in VAB high bay 1,
Endeavour was mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. The
entire Space Shuttle stack was transferred to Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 31.

STS-108 is the first Utilization Flight (UF1) of the Station
program. The STS-108 crew will berth the 4.5-ton Raffaello Multi-Purpose
Logistics Module (MPLM) to the International Space Station. Raffaello,
which will be attached to the Station using the Shuttle’s robot arm, will
deliver experiments and hardware to the Station for use by the Expedition
Four crew. One spacewalk is planned to perform preventative maintenance on
the Beta Gimbal Assembly of one of the Station’s solar wings. The
three-member Expedition Three ISS crew will return to Earth following more
than 118 days in space and will be replaced by the three-member Expedition
Four crew.

The STS-108 crew includes Commander Dominic L. Gorie, Pilot Mark E.
Kelly, and Mission Specialists Linda M. Godwin and Daniel M. Tani, as well
as Expedition Four crew members Yuri Onufrienko, Daniel Bursch and Carl
Walz.

(end of general release)

COUNTDOWN MILESTONES

*all times are Eastern

Launch-3 Days (Monday, November 26)

* Prepare for the start of the STS-108 launch countdown
* Perform the call-to-stations (10:30 p.m.)
* Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (11 p.m.)
* Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch
* Check out back-up flight systems
* Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display
systems
* Load backup flight system software into Endeavour’s general purpose
computers

Launch-2 Days (Tuesday, November 27)

* Remove mid-deck and flight-deck platforms (7 a.m.)
* Activate and test navigational systems (12 p.m.)
* Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution
system (1 p.m.)
* Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (3 p.m.)
*
* Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 8 hours (3
p.m.)
*
* Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
* Perform test of the vehicle’s pyrotechnic initiator controllers (4
p.m.)
*
* Resume countdown (7 p.m.)
*
* Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Endeavour’s fuel
cell storage tanks
* (7 p.m. – 2 a.m.)

Launch-1 Day (Wednesday, November 28)

* Enter 4-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (3 a.m.)
*
* Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (3:30 a.m.)
*
Resume countdown (7 a.m.)
*
* Final preparations of the Shuttle’s three main engines for main
propellant tanking and flight (7 a.m.)
* Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (8:30 a.m.)
* Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs
* Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (1:30 p.m.)
* Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform
*
* Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 12 hours, 49 minutes (3 p.m.)
*
* Begin star tracker functional checks (3:30 p.m.)
* Activate orbiter’s inertial measurement units
* Activate the orbiter’s communications systems
* Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (5:30 p.m.)
* Flight crew equipment late stow (7:50 p.m.)
* Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (11:30
p.m.)
* Perform ascent switch list
* Fuel cell flow-through purge complete

Launch Day (Thursday, November 29)

* Resume countdown at T-11 hours (3:49 a.m.)

* Activate the orbiter’s fuel cells (5:09 a.m.)

* Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel

* Switch Endeavour’s purge air to gaseous nitrogen (5:19 a.m.)

* Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (8:49 a.m.)

* Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior
to cryogenic loading of the external tank

* Clear pad of all personnel

* Chilldown of propellant transfer lines (10:19 a.m.)

* Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of
cryogenic propellants (about 10:49 a.m.)

* Resume countdown (10:49 a.m.)

* Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 1:49 p.m.)

* Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad

* Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (1:49 p.m.)

* Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration

* Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas

* Perform open loop test with Eastern Range

* Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (3:44
p.m.)

* Resume countdown at T-3 hours (3:49 p.m.)

* Complete close-out preparations in the white room

* Check cockpit switch configurations

* Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 4:24 p.m.)

* Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and
Mission Control

* Close Endeavour’s crew hatch (about 5:39 p.m.)

* Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks

* Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks

* Complete white room close-out

* Close-out crew moves to fallback area

* Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight
system

* Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (6:29 p.m.)

* NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings

* Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments

* Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (6:39 p.m.)

* Transition the orbiter’s onboard computers to launch configuration

* Start fuel cell thermal conditioning

* Close orbiter cabin vent valves

* Transition backup flight system to launch configuration

* Enter estimated 40-minute hold at T-9 minutes (6:50 p.m.)

* Launch Director, Mission Management Team and NASA Test Director
conduct final polls for go/no go to launch

* Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 7:32 p.m.)

* Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)

* Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)

* Start mission recorders (T-6:15)

* Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00)

* Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00)

* Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55)

* Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55)

* Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30)

* Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55)

* Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55)

* Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35)

* Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)

* Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00)

* Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds)

* Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds)

* SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)

* Ignition of three Space Shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds)

* SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0)

SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-108

T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS
T-27 hours 4 hours 3 p.m. Tues. 7 p.m. Tues.
T-19 hours 4 hours 3 a.m. Wed. 7 a.m. Wed.
T-11 hours 12 hours, 49 minutes 3 p.m. Wed. 3:49 a.m. Thurs.

T-6 hours 2 hours 8:49 a.m. Thurs. 10:49 a.m. Thurs.
T-3 hours 2 hours 1:49 p.m. Thurs. 3:49 p.m. Thurs.
T-20 minutes 10 minutes 6:29 p.m. Thurs. 6:39 p.m. Thurs.

T-9 minutes about 40 minutes 6:50 p.m. Thurs. 7:32 p.m.
Thurs.

CREW FOR MISSION STS-108

Commander (CDR): Dominic Gorie

Pilot (PLT): Mark Kelly

Mission Specialist 1: Linda Godwin

Mission Specialist 2: Daniel Tani

Expedition Three: Yuri Onufrienko

Expedition Three: Daniel Bursch

Expedition Three: Carl Walz

SUMMARY OF STS-108 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

Thursday, November 29

10:30 a.m. Crew wake up