STS-100 Status Report #19 – 28 Apr 2001 – 6:30 AM CDT

The primary computer aboard the International Space Station continued to
work well through the night, but flight controllers continued to encounter
difficulties recovering the station’s backup computers.

The station’s two backup command and control computers remain off line.
Attempts overnight to reload software in one of the computers were not
successful. Analysts on the ground have uncovered an error in the software
load that they believe may have been the source of the problem. Further
efforts to reload software into the backup computers are expected to resume
later this morning.

Even if backup computers are not yet on line, the crew may be given a go
today to use the station’s robotic arm in an abbreviated maneuver to hand a
carrier pallet to Endeavour’s arm so that it may be stowed aboard the
shuttle for a return to Earth. If so, the joint robotic activities would
begin no earlier than 8 a.m. to allow time for managers to thoroughly
evaluate the plan.

Meanwhile, the crews are using the shuttle’s robotic arm and cameras and the
station’s cameras to calibrate the Space Vision System, a precision
alignment aid for operators of the robotic arm, and gather information that
will help prepare for the next shuttle mission to visit the station. On that
flight, planned for launch in June, the Space Vision System will be a key
aid for using the station arm to attach a new airlock to the station. The
crew also is continuing the transfer of equipment from the shuttle to the
station during the day, and may work on some station maintenance tasks. A
joint crew press conference, during which the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts
will field questions from U.S., Canadian and European media, is planned at
1:41 p.m. CDT.

Shortly after Endeavour’s crew awoke today, Mission Control reported to them
the successful launch of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft bound for the
station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. The Soyuz, with a taxi
crew of Commander Talgat A. Musabaev, Flight Engineer Yuri M. Baturin and
American businessman Dennis Tito, will replace the Soyuz spacecraft now
attached to the station, which is nearing the end of its lifetime as a
station emergency “lifeboat.” The new Soyuz is tentatively planned to dock
with the station at 3:05 a.m. CDT Monday, however the Soyuz docking plans
will be delayed if a decision is made to further extend Endeavour’s stay at
the station.

The shuttle crew was awakened today to the song “Dangerous,” sung by C’est
Cheese, played for Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield at the request of his
wife. The station and shuttle are in an orbit of about 250 by 235 statute
miles. The next mission status report will be issued later today as events
warrant.