This is Endeavour's first scheduled Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP), an action that periodically removes all four of NASA's orbiters from flight operations. Endeavour's first spaceflight, STS-49 launched on May 7, 1992, featured a rendezvous, repair and reboost of a crippled communications satellite.
Endeavour will spend about eight months at Rockwell's Orbiter Assembly Facility in Palmdale where about 100 modifications will be performed on the vehicle. Eight to 10 modifications are directly associated with work required to support International Space Station operations. The most extensive of these will be the installation of an external airlock (replacing the current airlock) to allow Endeavour to dock with the Station, once assembly begins next year.
Other modifications include upgrades to the orbiter's power supply system, general purpose computers and the thermal protection system; work to allow installation of new light-weight commander and pilot seats and other weight-saving modifications; and a number of safety and turn-around enhancements.
Endeavour is scheduled to be rolled out of KSC's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at about 5 a.m. Monday, July 29, and towed to the Shuttle Landing Facility where it will be mated atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). Departure of the orbiter/SCA is scheduled for about 7 a.m. Tuesday, July 30.
Endeavour's route to Palmdale will include an overnight stop at Ft. Campbell, KY, where a public viewing of the orbiter/SCA is planned. Endeavour will then continue its ferry flight to California the following morning, arriving in Palmdale by early afternoon, July 31. A refueling stop between Ft. Campbell and Palmdale is expected and will be determined prior to departure from Kentucky Wednesday morning. All ferry flight plans are subject to weather restrictions and alternate landing sites may be selected en route if necessary.
Ferry flight rules state the orbiter/SCA cannot fly through precipitation, thick clouds or high turbulence. There are also wind and temperature restrictions.
Following this modification period, Endeavour is scheduled to be ferried back to KSC in April 1997. Endeavour's next flight, the first International Space Station assembly Space Shuttle flight, is scheduled for launch from KSC in late 1997.
News media interested in viewing Endeavour's departure from KSC must be at the KSC press site by about 6 a.m. Tuesday for transport to the Shuttle Landing Facility. Media should call the KSC Press Site before close of business on Monday, July 29, to confirm Endeavour's departure time.
To remove your name from the list at any time, send an e-mail address to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line), type (no quotes) "unsubscribe shuttle-status", or "unsubscribe ksc-press-release."