Space Shuttle Processing Status 7 Apr 2002
MISSION: STS-110 – 13th ISS Flight (8A) – ITS S0 TRUSS AND MOBILE TRANSPORTER
VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
KSC LAUNCH DATE: Monday, April 8, 2002
PREFERRED LAUNCH TIME: 4:39:31p.m.
KSC LANDING DATE: April 19, 12:42 p.m.
MISSION DURATION: 11 days
CREW: Bloomfield, Frick, Ross, Smith, Ochoa, Morin, Walheim
ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: The 96-hour scrub turnaround for Shuttle Atlantis is proceeding on schedule, aiming toward the planned liftoff of the STS-110 flight to the International Space Station on Monday, April 8 at about 4:40 p.m. The welding team completed the repair work on the ground system hydrogen vent line leak Saturday night, and a series of pressure checks, cold shock and X-ray inspections were performed to verify the integrity of the system.
The launch team finished topping off the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen supplies that power the on-board fuel cells this morning and the pad was re-opened at noon to permit access for the astronaut support personnel and technicians to perform final checkouts of orbiter systems. The Rotating Service Structure will be moved to the parked position tonight, the mid-deck experiments will be loaded back on-board and the communications system will be activated prior to resuming the countdown at the T-11 hour mark at 1:44 a.m. Monday morning. The Shuttle Mission Management Team will meet again at 6:30 a.m. to assess status and give the go for propellant loading of the External Tank.
The seven STS-110 crewmembers spent the weekend making final mission preparations and spending some time with their families. They were at the launch pad on Saturday doing cable route inspections and had an opportunity to observe the welders doing their work on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Commander Mike Bloomfield and Pilot Steve Frick rehearsed landing procedures aboard the Shuttle Training Aircraft on both Saturday and Sunday, and several of their crewmembers joined them on the flights.
The forecast for Monday predicts a 40% probability of weather prohibiting the launch because of the possibility of strong low-level winds in the KSC area. The winds will be from the northeast at 22-30 knots, with a temperature of 73 degrees F and a relative humidity of 59 percent.
