Space Shuttle Processing Status 19 Dec 2002

VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103

Shuttle Processing Note: An engineering evaluation continues following the
discovery of a surface crack found during standard Orbiter Maintenance and
Modification (OMM) inspections on Discovery. The crack, located on a
2.25-inch diameter metal ball, is associated with the Ball Strut Tie Rod
Assembly (BSTRA) inside Discovery’s 17-inch liquid oxygen line. Further
inspections of Discovery’s 17-inch and 12-inch lines have found no cracks,
although the inspections of Discovery have not been completed. Testing on
BSTRA balls began late this week and will continue through the holidays.
Results of these tests will not be known until after the holidays, in early
January.

MISSION STS-107 -SPACEHAB/FREESTAR MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH MISSION

• VEHICLE – Columbia/OV-102
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE: Jan. 16, 2003
• TARGET LAUNCH PERIOD: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• TARGET LANDING DATE: Feb. 1, 2003
• MISSION DURATION: 16 days
• CREW: Husband, McCool, Anderson, Chawla, Brown, Clark, Ramon
• ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE AND INCLINATION: 150 nautical miles/39 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Pre-launch preparations continue at Pad 39-A for
Shuttle Columbia’s Jan. 16 launch on the Spacehab microgravity research
mission. Hypergolic loading is complete, and the crew is participating in
the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test today and tomorrow. No inspections
are planned on Columbia related to the BSTRA ball crack evaluation.

MISSION STS-114 — 17TH ISS FLIGHT (ULF1) – CREW ROTATION/MULTI-PURPOSE LOGISTICS MODULE

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE: March 1, 2003
• TARGET LANDING DATE: March 13, 2003
• MISSION DURATION: 12 days
• SHUTTLE CREW: Collins, Kelly, Noguchi, Robinson
• ISS EXPEDITION CREW 7: Malenchenko, Kaleri, Lu
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE AND INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles, 51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Atlantis continues to be processed for its March
launch to the International Space Station. The Payload Premate Test is
complete and work has begun to test the Power Reactant Storage and
Distribution system and perform leak checks on the Main Propulsion System
and Space Shuttle Main Engines. As part of the analysis under way of the
crack found in the BSTRA ball on Discovery, technicians completed an
inspection of Atlantis’ lines and found no cracks.

MISSION STS-115 — 18th ISS FLIGHT (12A) ? P3/P4 SOLAR ARRAYS

• VEHICLE – Endeavour/OV-105
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE: May 23, 2003
• TARGET LANDING DATE: June 3, 2003
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days
• CREW: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean, Stefanyshyn-Piper
• ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE AND INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Deservicing and processing continues for the
STS-115 mission to the International Space Station scheduled in May 2003.
Forward Reaction Control System checkout is complete and technicians have
begun checking Endeavour’s Orbital Maneuvering System pods. Inspections are
under way of the BSTRAs on Endeavour to gather data to be used in the
analysis of a crack found in an assembly on Discovery. The inspections of
Endeavour have found no cracks so far. Inspections of the 17-inch liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen lines have been completed. Inspections of the
12-inch propellant lines will not begin until after the holidays, in early
January.