July 20, 2001
Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
KSC Release No. 85-01
Note to Editors:
ATLANTIS SCHEDULED TO LAND AT KSC JULY 24
The orbiter Atlantis is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Tuesday morning, July 24, at about 12:34 a.m. EDT completing the nearly 12-day STS-104 mission that was launched from KSC July 12, 2001.
Landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) is slated to occur on orbit 185 at mission elapsed time 11 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes. The deorbit burn will occur at about 11:31 p.m. EDT on July 23. The first two KSC landing opportunities on July 24 are 12:34 a.m. and 2:10 a.m. EDT.
If managers must keep Atlantis in orbit an additional day, two additional landing opportunities are available at KSC: on July 24 at 11:33 p.m. EDT and on July 25 at 1:09 a.m. EDT.
Landing opportunities also exist at the back-up landing location at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Calif., on both days.
If landing occurs as scheduled, it will be the 55th landing at KSC in the history of the program. Following landing, Atlantis will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility and preparations made for its next mission, STS-110 to the International Space Station, early next year.
Following landing, the crew will be taken to their quarters in the O&C Building, meet with their families and undergo physical examinations. A post-mission press conference with select members of the STS-104 crew is scheduled to occur at the KSC News Center about six hours after touchdown. The crew is scheduled to depart for Johnson Space Center later in the day on landing day.
If Atlantis lands at Edwards, an augmented KSC convoy team will be on-site to safe the vehicle, disembark the crew and move the orbiter to the Mate/Demate Device. The turnaround team will be deployed to Edwards by charter aircraft on landing day.
NOTICE TO EDITORS: The KSC press site will open for landing activities at 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 23. Accredited news media wishing to view Atlantis' landing should be at the KSC News Center prior to 11:30 p.m. for transport to the SLF. Additional information regarding landing photo opportunities, post-landing press conferences with the STS-104 crew, and News Center operational hours is available by calling the KSC News Center at 321-867-2468.
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