KSC Release No. 54-97

March 28, 1997
KSC Contact: Bruce Buckingham
KSC Release No. 54-97

SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-83 LAUNCH COUNTDOWN TO BEGIN MARCH 31

NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on the first Microgravity Science Laboratory on March 31 at 2 p.m. at the T-43 hour mark. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown from Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center.

The countdown includes 29 hours and 1 minute of built-in hold time leading to the opening of the launch window at 2:01 p.m. (EST) on April 3. The launch window extends for 2 hours, 30 minutes.

STS-83 is the third Space Shuttle mission of 1997. This will be the 22nd flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 83rd flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program. Columbia last flew in November/December 1996. STS-83 is scheduled to last 15 days, 16 hours, 36 minutes and end with a planned KSC landing at 7:37 a.m. EDT on April 19.

Columbia was rolled out of Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 on March 5 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 March 11.

The STS-83 crew are: Commander Jim Halsell; Pilot Susan Still; Mission Specialists Janice Voss, Michael Gernhardt and Donald Thomas; and Payload Specialists Roger Crouch and Greg Linteris.

The crew is scheduled to arrive at KSC at 2:30 p.m., Monday, March 31. Their activities at KSC prior to launch will include crew equipment fit checks, medical examinations and opportunities to fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

(end of general release)

COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
*all times are Eastern

Launch - 3 Days (Monday, March 31)

Prepare for the start of the STS-83 launch countdown
Perform the call-to-stations (1:30 p.m.)
All members of the launch team report to their respective consoles in Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center for the start of the countdown
Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (2 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

Launch - 2 Days (Tuesday, April 1)

Enter first planned built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of four hours (6 a.m.)

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

Resume countdown (10 a.m.)

Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Columbia's fuel cell storage tanks (10 a.m. - 10 p.m.)

Enter eight-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (6 p.m.)

After cryogenic loading operations, re-open the pad
Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit and retract into fixed service structure
Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs

Launch -1 Day (Wednesday, April 2)

Resume countdown (2 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
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, 41 minutes (10 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 (8 p.m.)

Resume countdown (11:41 p.m.)

Start fuel cell flow-through purge

Launch Day (Thursday, April 3)

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 Columbia's purge air to gaseous nitrogen
Complete inertial measurement unit activation

Enter planned one-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (4:41 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 5:11 a.m.)

Resume countdown (5:41 a.m.)

Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 8 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 planned two-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (8:41 a.m.)

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

Resume countdown at T-3 hours (10:41 a.m.)

Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (about 10:41 a.m.)
Complete close-out preparations in the white room
Check cockpit switch configurations
Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 11:16 a.m.)
Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control and Mission Control
Close Columbia's crew hatch (about 12:31 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 (1:21 p.m.)

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

Resume countdown (1:31 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 planned 10-minute hold at T-9 minutes (1:42 p.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 1:52 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-83

 T-TIME       LENGTH OF HOLD            HOLD BEGINS        HOLD ENDS
T-27 hours      4 hours                6:00 a.m. Tues.   10:00 a.m. Tues.
T-19 hours      8 hours                6:00 p.m. Tues.    2:00 a.m. Wed.
T-11 hours     13 hours, 41 minutes   10:00 a.m. Wed.    11:41 p.m. Wed.
T-6  hours      1 hour                 4:41 a.m. Thurs.   5:41 a.m. Thurs.
T-3  hours      2 hours                8:41 a.m. Thurs.  10:41 a.m. Thurs.
T-20 minutes   10 minutes              1:21 p.m. Thurs.   1:31 p.m. Thurs.
T-9  minutes   10 minutes              1:42 p.m. Thurs.   1:52 p.m. Thurs.

CREW FOR MISSION STS-83

         Commander (CDR):  Jim Halsell (Red Team)
             Pilot (PLT):  Susan Still (Red Team)
Mission Specialist (MS1):  Janice Voss (Blue Team)
Mission Specialist (MS2):  Michael Gernhardt (Blue Team)
Mission Specialist (MS3):  Donald Thomas (Red Team)
Mission Specialist (PS1):  Roger Crouch (Blue Team)
Mission Specialist (PS2):  Greg Linteris (Red Team)

SUMMARY OF STS-83 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

Thursday, April 3

   1:30 a.m.  Wake up (Red Team )
   3:30 a.m.  Breakfast (Red Team)
   8:30 a.m.  Lunch (Red Team)
   9:06 a.m.  Wake up (Blue Team)
   9:36 a.m.  Breakfast (Blue Team)
*  9:40 a.m.  Crew Photo (All)
  10:06 a.m.  Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
  10:06 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3, PS1, PS2)
  10:16 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
* 10:30 a.m.  Crew suiting photo
* 10:41 a.m.  Depart for launch pad 39A
* 11:16 a.m.  Arrive at white room and begin ingress
* 12:31 p.m.  Close crew hatch
*  2:01 p.m.  Launch

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

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