Status Report

Space Shuttle Status Report 18 Dec 2000

By SpaceRef Editor
December 18, 2000
Filed under ,

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: Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 18, 2001 at 2:44 a.m. EST

TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 28, 2001 at 10:03 p.m.

LAUNCH WINDOW: less than 5 minutes

MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 19 hours and 19 minutes

CREW: Cockrell, Polansky, Curbeam, Jones, Ivins

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Space Shuttle Atlantis remains in Vehicle Assembly
Building high bay 3, while Shuttle engineers continue their evaluation of
the STS-98 solid rocket booster ordnance cables. Depending on evaluation
results, rollout is delayed to no earlier than midweek.

Over the weekend, a cable associated with the left-hand booster’s lower
strut failed a standard electrical test. While technicians worked to
replace that cable’s connectors, they noted that one layer of the cable’s
protective shielding was brittle. Engineers are evaluating this issue to
determine what additional work may be required. As managers develop a new
work plan, they will assess what impact if any, this will have on Atlantis’
Jan. 18 target launch date.

MISSION: STS-102 – 8th ISS Flight (5A.1) – Leonardo MPLM

VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103

LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Mar. 1, 2001 at 9:40 a.m. EST

TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Mar. 13, 2001 at 5:15 a.m.

LAUNCH WINDOW: less than 5 minutes

MISSION DURATION: 11 days

CREW: Wetherbee, Kelly, Thomas, Richards; (up) Voss, Helms, Usachev; (down)
Shepherd, Gidzenko, Krikalev

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Workers have completed all 10 thruster
replacements on Discovery’s orbital maneuvering system pods and subsequent
leak checks concluded over the weekend. Replacement of fuel cell No. 2 is
also complete and follow-up voltage tests are in work today. Workers are
preparing to install the orbiter’s three main engines this week.

MISSION: STS-100 – 9th ISS Flight (6A) -Raffaello MPLM, SSRMS

VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105

LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2

TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Apr. 19, 2001 at 2:04 p.m. EDT

TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Apr. 30, 2001 at 9:56 a.m.

MISSION DURATION: 11 days

CREW: Rominger, Ashby, Hadfield, Parazynski, Phillips, Guidoni, Lonchakov

ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 177 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

Shuttle Processing Note: Efforts to drain Endeavour’s residual reactants are
complete. Workers are removing the 3-D IMAX camera from the payload bay
today. Tomorrow, technicians begin forward reaction control system
functional tests.

SpaceRef staff editor.