NASA Space Shuttle Processing Status Report 10 February 2006

Mission: STS-121 – 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) – Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Thermal protection system blanket installation continues on the orbiter boom sensor system. The sensor package was installed Tuesday on the boom.

Engineers are analyzing information and hardware following failed leak checks of shuttle main engines number 2 and 3. The two are in the main engine processing facility for evaluations. The engines will be reinstalled in the vehicle when analysis is completed; tentatively set for early next week.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, solid rocket booster stacking continues today; the left aft center segment is being lifted onto the stack on the mobile launcher platform. Right booster stacking is scheduled for mid-February completion; left booster by the end of the month.

Endeavour (OV-105)

In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, standard mission processing continues and return-to-flight modifications. Heads-up display alignment is scheduled for the commander’s seat this weekend and pilot’s seat next week. The display is an optical mini-processor that cues the commander and/or pilot during the final phase of atmosphere re-entry and during the final approach to the runway.

Mission: STS-115 – 19th ISS Flight (12A) – P3/P4 Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104) Location: Orbiter Processing Facility
Bay 1 Launch Date: To be determined Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Atlantis is in a power-down period. More than 400 gap fillers have been removed and replaced on the shuttle underside. When gap filler work is completed on Discovery, the entire team will move to Atlantis to continue the work at approximately 350 fillers weekly. New installation procedures were developed to ensure the gap fillers stay in place and do not pose any hazard on atmosphere re-entry.