Space Shuttle Status Report 17 Jan 2001

NOTE: This is an orbiter processing report and does not necessarily reflect
the chronological order of upcoming Space Shuttle flights. Visit
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm on the KSC Home
Page for the latest schedule of future Shuttle missions.

MISSION: STS-98 – 7th ISS Flight (5A) – U.S. Laboratory

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104

LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: No earlier than Feb. 6, 2001 at 6:37 p.m. EST

TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Feb. 17, 2001 at 2:17 p.m. EST

LAUNCH WINDOW: less than 5 minutes

MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 19 hours and 40 minutes

CREW: Cockrell, Polansky, Curbeam, Jones, Ivins

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Preparation to roll Space Shuttle Atlantis back
into the Vehicle Assembly Building proceeds on schedule. The orbiter
midbody umbilical unit has been demated and preparations to retract the
Rotating Service Structure begin tonight. The RSS will move away from
Atlantis at about 11 a.m. Thursday.

Today, workers began transferring the U.S. Lab from Atlantis’ payload bay
into the payload changeout room at Launch Pad 39A. The orbiter’s payload bay
doors will be closed later tonight. Rollback preparations will continue
through Thursday and first motion toward VAB high bay 3 is planned for 7
a.m. Friday.

Once in the VAB, workers will begin inspections, continuity checks and X-ray
analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each booster’s
system tunnel. The work is expected to proceed through Monday. After
successful completion of this work, engineers plan to conduct the standard
Shuttle Interface Test on Tuesday. Preparations to return Atlantis to the
launch pad begin next Wednesday and pending completion of all open work,
Shuttle Atlantis will roll out to the pad as early as Friday, Jan. 26 at 7
a.m.