SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-80 LAUNCH COUNTDOWN BEGINS TODAY

NASA will start the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia today at 1 p.m. EST at the T-43 hour mark. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown for mission STS-80 from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.

The countdown contains 30 hours, 50 minutes of built-in hold time leading to the opening of the launch window at 2:50 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Nov. 15. The launch window extends for 2 hours, 30 minutes.

STS-80 is the seventh and last Space Shuttle mission of 1996. This will be the 21st flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 80th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program. Columbia last flew on mission STS-78 in the summer of this year.

Columbia was transferred from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Oct. 9 where it was mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters. Columbia was then rolled out to launch pad 39B on Oct. 16.

On mission STS-80, Columbia will carry into orbit a five-member crew. The crew are: Commander Ken Cockrell; Pilot Kent Rominger; and Mission Specialists Tamara Jernigan, Thomas Jones and Story Musgrave. All members of the STS-80 crew are veteran Shuttle flyers.

The crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 6:15 p.m. yesterday. Their activities prior to launch include equipment fit checks, medical examinations and opportunities to fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

The launch of STS-80 on Nov. 15 is contingent on a commercial Atlas rocket launch planned for Wednesday, Nov. 13. If the Atlas launch is delayed a day, an additional 24-hour hold will be implemented at the T-11 hour mark and the Shuttle launch delayed until Saturday, Nov. 16.

• Prepare for the start of the STS-80 launch countdown
• Perform the call-to-stations (12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12)
• All members of the launch team report to their respective consoles in Firing Room 3 in the Launch Control Center for the start of the countdown.
• Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (1 p.m.)
• Start preparations for servicing fuel cell storage tanks
• Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch
• Check out back-up flight systems
• Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems
• Load backup flight system software into Columbia's general purpose computers
• Begin stowage of flight crew equipment
• Inspect the orbiter's mid-deck and flight-deck and remove crew module platforms

• Close payload bay doors for flight (about 2 a.m.)
  

Enter first planned built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of four hours (5 a.m.)

• Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
• Perform test of the vehicle's pyrotechnic initiator controllers

Resume countdown (9 a.m.)

• Clear launch pad of all personnel
• Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Columbia's fuel cell storage tanks (9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.)

Enter eight-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (5 p.m.)

• After cryogenic loading operations, re-open the pad
• Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs

Resume countdown (1 a.m.)

• Start final preparations of the Shuttle's three main engines for main propellant tanking and flight
• Activate the orbiter's flight controls and navigation systems
• Install mission specialists' seats in crew cabin
• Close-out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform

Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 15 hours, 30 minutes (9 a.m.)

• Complete off-load of extra cryogenic reactants from service tanks
• Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit and retract into fixed service structure
• Perform orbiter ascent switch list in crew cabin
• Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad
• Activate the orbiter's communications systems and begin initial voice checks
• Activate orbiter's inertial measurement units
• Fill pad sound suppression system water tank
• Safety personnel conduct debris walkdown
• Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (8 p.m.)
• Following the RSS move, begin final stowage of mid-deck experiments and flight crew equipment

Resume countdown (12:30 a.m.)

• Continue installation of time critical flight crew equipment
• Perform pre-ingress switch list
• Start fuel cell flow-through purge
• Activate the orbiter's fuel cells
• Configure communications at Mission Control, Houston, for launch
• Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
• Switch Columbia's purge air to gaseous nitrogen

Enter planned one-hour built-in hold at the T- 6 hour mark (5:30 a.m.)

• Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to cryogenic loading of the external tank
• Clear pad of all personnel
• Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants (about 5:45 a.m.)

Resume countdown (6:30 a.m.)

• Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 8:45 a.m.)
• Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
• Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
• Perform open loop test with Eastern Range
• Conduct gimbal profile checks of orbital maneuvering system engines

Enter two-hour hold at T-3 hours (9:30 a.m.)

• Close-out crew and Final Inspection Team proceeds to Launch Pad 39B

Resume countdown at T-3 hours (11:30 a.m.)

• Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (about 11:35 a.m.)
• Complete close-out preparations in the white room
• Check cockpit switch configurations
• Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 12:05 p.m.)
• Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control and Mission Control
• Close Columbia's crew hatch (about 1:20 p.m.)
• Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks
• Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks
• Complete white room close-out
• Close-out crew moves to fallback area
• Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight system

Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (2:10 p.m.)

• NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings

Resume countdown (2:20 p.m.)

• Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration
• Start fuel cell thermal conditioning
• Close orbiter cabin vent valves
• Transition backup flight system to launch configuration

Enter 10-minute hold at T-9 minutes (2:31 p.m.)

• Launch Director, Mission Management Team and NASA Test Director conduct final polls for go/no go to launch

Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 2:41 p.m.)

• Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)
• Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)
• Start mission recorders (T-5:30)
• Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00)
• Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00)
• Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55)
• Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55)
• Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30)
• Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55)
• Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55)
• Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35)
• Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)
• Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00)
• Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds)
• Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds)
• SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)
• Ignition of three Space Shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds)
• SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0)

SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-80

  T-TIME        LENGTH OF HOLD           HOLD BEGINS        HOLD ENDS
T-27 hours        4 hours               5:00 a.m. Wed.     9:00 a.m. Wed.
T-19 hours        8 hours               5:00 p.m. Wed.     1:00 a.m. Thurs.
T-11 hours       15 hours, 30 minutes   9:00 a.m. Thurs.  12:30 a.m. Fri.
T-6 hours         1 hour                5:30 a.m. Fri.     6:30 a.m. Fri.
T-3 hours         2 hours               9:30 a.m. Fri.    11:30 a.m. Fri.
T-20 minutes     10 minutes             2:10 p.m. Fri.     2:20 p.m. Fri.
T-9 minutes      10 minutes             2:31 p.m. Fri.     2:41 p.m. Fri.


CREW FOR MISSION STS-80

         Commander (CDR): Ken Cockrell
             Pilot (PLT): Kent Rominger
 Payload Commander (MS1): Tamara Jernigan
Mission Specialist (MS2): Thomas Jones
Mission Specialist (MS3): Story Musgrave


SUMMARY OF STS-80 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

Friday, Nov. 15

   9:55 a.m.  Wake up
* 10:25 a.m.  Breakfast and crew photo
  10:55 a.m.  Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
  10:55 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3)
  11:05 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
* 11:18 a.m.  Crew suiting photo
* 11:35 a.m.  Depart for launch pad 39B
* 12:05 p.m.  Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*  1:20 p.m.  Close crew hatch
*  2:50 p.m.  Launch

* Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern