Status Report

Launch Countdown for Shuttle Mission STS-92 Begins at 12 A.M. Tuesday

By SpaceRef Editor
October 2, 2000
Filed under

KSC RELEASE NO. 84 – 00

NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
on mission STS-92 Oct. 3 at 12 a.m. EDT at the T-43 hour mark. This mission
marks the 5th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the 4th
Shuttle mission this year. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown
from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.

The countdown includes 24 hours and 33 minutes of built-in hold time
leading to a preferred launch time at about 9:38 p.m. on Oct. 5 with a
launch window not to exceed 5 minutes. The exact location of the orbiting
International Space Station (ISS) will be determined during the T-9 minute
built-in hold. The launch director will at that time determine the exact
time of launch.

Mission STS-92 is the 28th flight of the orbiter Discovery
and the 100th flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle program. STS-92 is
scheduled to last 10 days, 19 hours and 12 minutes with a planned KSC
landing at about 4:50 p.m. on Oct. 16.

After completing mission STS-103 on Dec. 27, 1999, Discovery rolled
into KSC’s Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 to undergo processing for
this flight. The orbiter rolled out of OPF bay 1 and into bay 3 on Aug. 21
allowing workers to begin planned upgrades to bay 1. Discovery was mated
with the external tank and solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly
Building (VAB) on Aug. 24. Eighteen days later, the entire Space Shuttle
stack rolled out to Launch Pad 39A to undergo final launch preparations. The
extended stay in the VAB allowed Shuttle Atlantis to clear pad 39B with the
launch of mission STS-106, and minimized the risk of having two Shuttle
vehicles exposed to the elements during hurricane season.

On mission STS-92, the seven-member crew will prepare ISS for the
arrival of its first international crew later this year. During the flight,
the crew of Discovery will connect the Zenith-1 Truss to the growing
International Space Station. Pressurized Mating Adapter -3 will also be
installed on this flight. The mission objectives include a total of four
space walks to be completed by two teams of two astronauts.

The STS-92 crew includes: Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela
Melroy, and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff,
Michael Lopez-Alegria, Koichi Wakata.

(end of general release)

COUNTDOWN MILESTONES

*all times are Eastern



Launch – 3 Days (Monday, Oct. 2)

* Prepare for the start of the STS-92 launch countdown

* Perform the call-to-stations (11:30 p.m.)



Launch – 2 Days (Tuesday, Oct. 3)

  • Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (12 a.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 Discovery’s general purpose
    computers
  • Remove mid-deck and flight-deck platforms (8 a.m.)
  • Activate and test navigational systems (1 p.m.)
  • Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution
    system (3 p.m.)
  • Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (4 p.m.)

    Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 4 hours (4 p.m.)

  • Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
  • Perform test of the vehicle’s pyrotechnic initiator controllers
    (5:10 p.m.)

    Resume countdown (8 p.m.)

  • Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Discovery’s fuel
    cell storage tanks
    (8 p.m. – 4 a.m.)



    Launch -1 Day (Wednesday, Oct. 4 )

    Enter 4-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (4 a.m.)

  • Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (4 a.m.)
  • Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (4:30 a.m.)
  • Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs
  • Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (7:30 a.m.)

    Resume countdown (8 a.m.)

  • Final preparations of the Shuttle’s three main engines for main
    propellant tanking and flight (8 a.m.)
  • Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform

    Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 43 minutes (4 p.m.)

  • Begin star tracker functional checks (5 p.m.)
  • Activate orbiter’s inertial measurement units
  • Activate the orbiter’s communications systems
  • Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (8 p.m.)
  • Flight crew equipment late stow (10:20 p.m.)



    Launch Day (Thursday, Oct. 5)

  • Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (1:30
    a.m.)
  • Perform ascent switch list
  • Fuel cell flow-through purge complete (5:43 a.m.)

    Resume countdown at T-11 hours (5:43 a.m.)

  • Activate the orbiter’s fuel cells (6:53 a.m.)
  • Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
  • Switch Discovery’s purge air to gaseous nitrogen (7:58 a.m.)

    Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (10:43 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 (12:13 p.m.)
  • Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of
    cryogenic propellants (about 12:43 p.m.)

    Resume countdown (12:43 p.m.)

  • Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid
    hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 3:43 p.m.)
  • Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad

    Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (3:43 p.m.)

  • Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
  • Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
  • Perform open loop test with Eastern Range

    Resume countdown at T-3 hours (5:43 p.m.)

  • Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (at 5:48
    p.m.)
  • Complete close-out preparations in the white room
  • Check cockpit switch configurations
  • Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 6:18 p.m.)
  • Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and
    Mission Control
  • Close Discovery’s crew hatch (7:33 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 (8:23 p.m.)

  • NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
  • Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments

    Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (8:33 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 45-minute hold at T-9 minutes (8:44 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 9:29 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-92

        T-TIME            LENGTH OF HOLD        HOLD BEGINS        HOLD ENDS
    T-27 hours 4 hours 4 p.m. Tues. 8 p.m. Tues.
    T-19 hours 4 hours 4 a.m. Wed. 8 a.m. Wed.
    T-11 hours 13 hours, 43 minutes 4 p.m. Wed. 5:43 a.m. Thurs.

    T-6 hours 2 hours 10:43 a.m. Thurs. 12:43 a.m. Thurs.
    T-3 hours 2 hours 3:43 p.m. Thurs. 5:43 p.m. Thurs.
    T-20 minutes 10 minutes 8:23 p.m. Thurs. 8:33 p.m. Thurs.

    T-9 minutes about 45 minutes 8:44 p.m. Thurs. 9:29 p.m.
    Thurs.



    CREW FOR MISSION STS-92

    Commander (CDR): Brian Duffy

    Pilot (PLT): Pamela Melroy

    Mission Specialist (MS1): Leroy Chiao

    Mission Specialist (MS2): Bill McArthur

    Mission Specialist (MS3): Jeff Wisoff

    Mission Specialist (MS4): Koichi Wakata

    Mission Specialist (MS5): Michael Lopez-Alegria



    SUMMARY OF STS-92 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

    Thursday, Oct. 5

    9:30 a.m. Crew wake up

    10:30 a.m. Breakfast

    *4:38 p.m. Snack and photo

    5:08 p.m. Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)

    5:08 p.m. Don flight suits (MS1, MS3, MS4, MS5)

    *5:18 p.m. Don flight suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)

    *5:48 p.m. Depart for launch pad

    *6:18 p.m. Arrive at white room and begin ingress

    *7:33 p.m. Close crew hatch

    *9:38 p.m. Launch

    * Televised events (times may vary slightly)
    All times Eastern

  • SpaceRef staff editor.