Bruce Buckingham
June 4, 2002
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
5:00 p.m. EDT
(321) 867-2468
KSC Release No. 56-02
SHUTTLE MISSION STS-111 LAUNCH TIME ANNOUNCED FOR LAUNCH ON JUNE 5
Following the successful replacement and retest of a faulty gaseous nitrogen regulator valve on the left Orbital Maneuvering System pod of the Shuttle Endeavour, NASA mission managers have set the launch of Mission STS-111 for Wednesday, June 5.
The preferred launch time is 5:22:48 p.m. EDT.
The planar launch window on Wednesday extends from 5:17:49 - 5:27:47 p.m. EDT with the preferred launch time reflecting a flight day three rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station. The launch window times will be updated to coincide with the latest orbital position of the Space Station and will be announced at the T-9 minute hold.
STS-111 is a scheduled 12-day mission with a planned KSC landing at about
11:49 a.m. EDT on June 17.
This mission marks the fourteenth Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the third Shuttle mission this year. Mission STS-111 is the 18th flight of the orbiter Endeavour and the 110th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program.
On mission STS-111, astronauts will deliver the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, the Mobile Base System (MBS), and the Expedition Five crew to the International Space Station. During the seven days Endeavour will be docked to the Station, three spacewalks will be performed dedicated to MBS installation and the installation of the replacement wrist-roll join on the Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm.
The STS-111 crew includes Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin, as well as the Expedition Five crew members Valeri Korzun, Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev.
REMAINING COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
*all times are Eastern
Launch-1 Day (Tuesday, June 4)
(As of 5 p.m., the countdown clock is in a scheduled built-in hold at the T-11 hour mark)
Flight crew equipment late stow
Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (about 8:17 p.m.)
Perform ascent switch list
Fuel cell flow-through purge complete
Launch Day (Wednesday, June 5)
Resume countdown at T-11 hours (2:27 a.m.)
Activate the orbiter's fuel cells (3:37 a.m.)
Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
Switch Endeavour's purge air to gaseous nitrogen (4:42 a.m.)
Enter planned 1-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (7:27 a.m.)
Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to cryogenic loading of the external tank
Clear pad of all personnel
Pre-chilldown of propellant transfer lines
Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants (about 7:57 a.m.)
Resume countdown at T-6 hours (8:27 a.m.)
Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 10:57 a.m.)
Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (11:27 a.m.)
Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad
Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
Perform open loop test with Eastern Range
Resume countdown at T-3 hours (1:27 p.m.)
Complete close-out preparations in the white room
Check cockpit switch configurations
Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks
Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight system
Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (4:07 p.m.)
NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments
Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (4:17 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 estimated 45-minute hold at T-9 minutes (4:28 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 5:14 p.m.)
Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)
Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)
Start mission recorders (T-6:15)
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)
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