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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1996 (11:36 AM EDT) KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692) E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM (image) VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 (image) LOCATION: Pad 39A LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 14 at about 5:39 a.m. (EDT) LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes MIR DOCKING: About 12:39 a.m., Sept. 16 TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Sept. 23 at about 10:48 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 5 hours CREW (image) SIZE: 6 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees All times are EST NOTE: The Flight Readiness Review concluded yesterday and mission managers selected Sept. 14 as the launch date for Atlantis on mission STS-79. Officials will keep a close watch on tropical storm activity in the Atlantic and plans are being implemented today to ready the Shuttle for a possible rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building if storms continue to threaten. Hurricane Edouard has turned north and is no longer considered a serious threat to Florida. Hurricane Fran, however, continues to show signs of maintaining a course toward the southeast U.S. and may become a concern for Shuttle operations next week. To prepare for possible hurricane conditions, workers are today implementing contingency plans for a possible rollback next week if Hurricane Fran becomes a genuine threat. Work being performed at the pad includes disconnecting several of the umbilicals that connect various pad services to the orbiter, close-out the crew module and close the crew hatch, and begin to power-down the orbiter's electrical components. This will place Atlantis in a posture to be returned to the VAB within 12 hours, once a call to rollback is made by the launch director. The actual move to the VAB takes about six hours. No work will be performed that would impact the critical path for launch next month unless a call to rollback becomes imminent. The earliest Atlantis would be rolled back to the VAB is early Monday morning. In the VAB, Mobile Launcher Platform no. 3 was moved out of high bay 3 today to clear a "safe haven" for Atlantis' return, if necessary. At this time, KSC has not gone into a "Hurricane Condition" status. The first status -- Hurcon 4 -- will be established once it is determined hurricane force winds are expected at KSC with 72 hours. This call could be made this weekend if Hurricane Fran continues on its projected path. Yesterday at the pad, work to load hypergolic propellants into the orbiter's reaction control system was competed. However, work to load the propellants into the orbiter's auxiliary power units and the booster's hydraulic power units had to be put on hold due to contaminates found in the hypergolic fuels. This work has been rescheduled for next Wednesday. KEY STS-79 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): Begin aft close-outs (Tuesday) Complete loading hypergolic propellants (Wednesday) Begin ordnance operations (Sept. 6) Begin countdown at T-43 hour mark (1 a.m. Sept. 11) MISSION: STS-80 -- WAKE SHIELD FACILITY-3 and ORFEUS-SPAS-2 (image) VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: (no earlier than) Oct. 31 at 2:40 p.m. (EST) LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 20 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: (no earlier than) Nov. 16 at 7:25 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 16 days CREW SIZE: 5 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 218 statute miles/28.45 degrees NOTE: Options are being discussed today regarding when to begin stacking the solid rocket boosters for STS-80. Stacking will likely begin no earlier than next Friday but be based on a pending rollback decision in order to keep a high bay in the VAB available as a "safe haven" for Atlantis' return to the VAB, if necessary. Today, leak checks are continuing on main engine no. 1., and, as a contingency for hurricane preparations this weekend, the payload bay doors will be closed. KEY STS-80 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): Begin stacking solid rocket boosters in VAB (no earlier than Sept. 6) Crew equipment interface test (Sept. 13-14) Final payload bay door closure (Sept. 23) Roll to Vehicle Assembly Building (Sept. 30) MISSION: STS-82 -- HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING MISSION-2 VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 TARGET LAUNCH DATE: February 13, 1997 LAUNCH WINDOW: 61 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE: February 23, 1997 MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 22 hours CREW SIZE: 7 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 360 statute miles/28.45 degrees NOTE: Orbital maneuvering system verifications are complete. Leak and functional checks of the auxiliary power units are continuing today. The payload bay doors will be closed today as a precaution for possible hurricane conditions this weekend. KEY OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): Install and checkout drag chute (image) (Sept. 4-5) Deliver forward reaction control system to OPF (Sept. 16) Complete installation of the forward reaction control system (Sept. 18)-- end -- NOTE: MISSION STS-81, ATLANTIS, IS TARGETED FOR LAUNCH ON JAN. 12, 1997. SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS WILL BE ISSUED FOLLOWING MISSION STS-79. For automatic e-mail subscriptions to this daily Shuttle status report or KSC originated press releases, send an Internet electronic mail message to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) type the words "subscribe shuttle-status", or "subscribe ksc-press-release" (do not use quotation marks). The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription. To remove your name from the list at any time, send an e-mail address to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. 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