Space Shuttle Status Report 17 May 2000

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 19, 2000 at about 6:12 a.m. EDT
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 29, 2000 at about 2:19 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 5 minutes
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days
• CREW: Halsell, Horowitz, Weber, Williams, Voss, Helms, Usachev
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Early this morning, launch controllers added 23 ½ hours to the launch count at the T-11 hour built-in hold, slipping the launch of Shuttle Atlantis to Friday at about 6:12 a.m. The decision followed a Tuesday evening postponement of the Air Force Atlas III launch and was part of an preplanned agreement between NASA and the Air Force.

Space Shuttle Atlantis remains in excellent health with Shuttle engineers working no significant technical concerns. Throughout the day, engineers will monitor Shuttle systems from the launch control room and perform minor maintenance tasks on ground support equipment at the pad.

The orbiter’s communication system will be activated early tomorrow morning, and flight crew equipment late stow efforts will slip into Thursday as well. The Rotating Service Structure at the pad will move away from the vehicle at about 10 a.m. tomorrow. Loading of the external tank with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid propellant begins at about 8:47 p.m. tomorrow.

Weather forecasters indicate only a 10 percent chance of weather prohibiting launch on Friday. The forecast calls for few clouds at 3,000 feet and scattered clouds at 6,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds from the south southwest at 7 peaking to 10 knots; temperature at 74 degrees F; dew point at 65 degrees F; and relative humidity at 74 percent. The primary concern is for possible fog in the KSC vicinity.