SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-82 LAUNCH COUNTDOWN TO BEGIN FEB. 8

NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope on Feb. 8 at 4 a.m. at the T-43 hour mark. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.

The countdown includes 28 hours and 56 minutes of built-in hold time leading to the opening of the launch window at 3:56 a.m. (EST) on Feb. 11. The launch window extends for 65 minutes.

STS-82 is the second Space Shuttle mission of 1997. This will be the 22nd flight of the orbiter Discovery and the 82nd flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program. Discovery last flew in July 1995. STS-82 is scheduled to last 9 days, 21 hours, 34 minutes and end with a planned KSC landing at 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 21.

Discovery was rolled out of Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 on Jan. 11 and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building the following day. The Shuttle stack was then transported to Pad 39A on Jan. 17.

The STS-82 crew are: Commander Ken Bowersox; Pilot Scott Horowitz; Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Steve Hawley, Greg Harbaugh, Mark Lee and Steve Smith. All members of the STS-82 crew are veteran Shuttle flyers.

The crew arrived at KSC at about 7:30 a.m., today. Their activities at KSC prior to launch will include final inspections of the Hubble Space Telescope servicing payloads, crew equipment fit checks, medical examinations and opportunities to fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

• Prepare for the start of the STS-82 launch countdown
• Perform the call-to-stations (3:30 a.m.)
• 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 (4 a.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 Discovery's general purpose computers
• Begin stowage of flight crew equipment
• Inspect the orbiter's mid-deck and flight-deck and remove crew module platforms

Enter first planned built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of four hours (8 p.m.)

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

Resume countdown (12:01 a.m.)

• Clear launch pad of all personnel
• Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Discovery's fuel cell storage tanks (2 - 7 a.m.)
• After cryogenic loading operations, re-open the pad

Enter eight-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (8 a.m.)

• Off-load extra cryogenic reactants not required for flight
• Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs

Resume countdown (4 p.m.)

• Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit and retract into fixed service structure
• 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
• Begin startracker functional checks
• Close-out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform

Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 36 minutes (12:01 a.m.)

• Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad
• Perform orbiter ascent switch list in crew cabin
• Activate the orbiter's communications systems
• Activate orbiter's inertial measurement units
• Complete flight crew equipment late stowage
• Fill pad sound suppression system water tank
• Safety personnel conduct debris walk down
• Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (9:30 a.m.)
• Start fuel cell flow-through purge

Resume countdown (1:36 p.m.)

• Perform pre-ingress switch list
• 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 Discovery's purge air to gaseous nitrogen
• Complete inertial measurement unit activation

Enter planned one-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (6:36 p.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 7:06 p.m.)

Resume countdown (7:36 p.m.)

• Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 10 p.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 planned two-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (10:36 p.m.)

• Close-out crew and Final Inspection Team proceed to Launch Pad 39A

Resume countdown at T-3 hours (12:36 a.m.)

• Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (about 12:31 a.m.)
• Complete close-out preparations in the white room
• Check cockpit switch configurations
• Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 1:01 a.m.)
• Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control and Mission Control
• Close Discovery's crew hatch (about 2:26 a.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 (3:16 a.m.)

• NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
• Complete inertial measurement unit pre-flight alignments

Resume countdown (3:26 a.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 planned 10-minute hold at T-9 minutes (3:37 a.m.)
(This is the last planned built-in hold. Other hold options are available if necessary.)

• 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 3:47 a.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)

  T-TIME      LENGTH OF HOLD           HOLD BEGINS         HOLD ENDS
T-27 hours     4 hours                8:00 p.m. Sat.    12:01 a.m. Sun.
T-19 hours     8 hours                8:00 a.m. Sun.     4:00 p.m. Sun.
T-11 hours    13 hours, 36 minutes   12:01 a.m. Mon.     1:36 p.m. Mon.
T-6 hours      1 hour                 6:36 p.m. Mon.     7:36 p.m. Mon.
T-3 hours      2 hours               10:36 p.m. Mon.    12:36 a.m. Tues.
T-20 minutes  10 minutes              3:16 a.m. Tues.    3:26 a.m. Tues.
T-9 minutes   10 minutes              3:37 a.m. Tues.    3:47 a.m. Tues.

         Commander (CDR):   Ken Bowersox
             Pilot (PLT):   Scott Horowitz
Mission Specialist (MS1):   Joe Tanner
Mission Specialist (MS2):   Steve Hawley
Mission Specialist (MS3):   Greg Harbaugh
Mission Specialist (MS4):   Mark Lee
Mission Specialist (MS5):   Steve Smith

Monday, Feb. 10 

   7:30 p.m.	 Wake up
   8:00 p.m.	 Breakfast
* 11:21 p.m.	 Lunch and crew photo
  11:51 p.m.	 Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
  11:51 p.m.	 Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3, MS4, MS5)

Tuesday, Feb. 11 

  12:01 a.m. 	Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
* 12:20 a.m. 	Crew suiting photo 
* 12:31 a.m. 	Depart for launch pad 39A
*  1:01 a.m. 	Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*  2:26 a.m. 	Close crew hatch
*  3:56 a.m. 	Launch

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