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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1996 (11:06 AM EDT) LAUNCH - 1 DAY KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692) E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov MISSION: STS-78 -- LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SPACELAB (LMS) VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: Pad 39B LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 20 at 10:49 a.m. (EDT) LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 7 at about 8:51 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 16 days, 22 hours, 2 minutes CREW SIZE: 7 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 statute miles/39 degrees NOTE: Workers have completed work to close-out the aft engine compartment following yesterday's work to X-ray and clear for flight the power drive units (PDU) for the orbiter's external tank doors. Also, the no. 1 Master Events Controller (MEC) was retested overnight and no problems relating to control of the orbiter's critical functions were identified. The MEC has been cleared for flight and no additional tests are necessary. No other vehicle issues are being addressed by the Mission Management Team at this time and the countdown is on schedule for launch at 10:49 a.m. tomorrow. Payload technicians completed the late stowage of experiments into the Life and Microgravity Spacelab last night and mid-deck experiment stowage is now in work. Operations to load the cryogenic reactants that service the orbiter's fuel cells were completed yesterday and the orbiter mid-body umbilical unit has been demated from the orbiter. Later today, preparations will begin to retract the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to launch position. RSS rotation is set for about 4 p.m. today. This event could be delayed several hours without impacting launch tomorrow if thunderstorms threaten KSC today. Loading the external tank with cryogenic propellants is scheduled to begin at about 2 a.m. tomorrow. Air Force weather forecasters are currently indicating a 60 percent probability of weather prohibiting launch on Thursday. The primary concerns are for thick clouds, showers and thunderstorms. During Thursday's launch window, the winds at Pad B are expected to be from the west-southwest at 7 - 12 knots; temperature 80 degrees F; visibility 7 miles; humidity 82 percent; and clouds scattered to broken at 4,000 feet; and broken at 30,000 feet. The 24-hour-delay and 48-hour-delay forecasts reveal similar conditions and a 30 percent chance of delay each day. SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-78 T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS T-27 hours 4 hours 8:00 p.m. Mon. 12 midnight Mon. T-19 hours 8 hours 8:00 a.m. Tues. 4:00 p.m. Tues. T-11 hours 20 hours, 29 minutes 12 midnight Wed. 8:29 p.m. Wed. T-6 hours 1 hour 1:29 a.m. Thurs. 2:29 a.m. Thurs. T-3 hours 2 hours 5:29 a.m. Thurs. 7:29 a.m. Thurs. T-20 minutes 10 minutes 10:09 a.m. Thurs. 10:19 a.m. Thurs. T-9 minutes 10 minutes 10:30 a.m. Thurs. 10:40 a.m. Thurs. CREW FOR MISSION STS-78 Commander (CDR): Tom Henricks Pilot (PLT): Kevin Kregel Mission Specialist (MS1): Richard Linnehan Mission Specialist/Payload Commander (MS2): Susan Helms Mission Specialist (MS3): Charles Brady Payload Specialist (PS1): Jean-Jacques Favier (French Space Agency) Payload Specialist (PS2): Robert Brent Thirsk (Canadian Space Agency) SUMMARY OF STS-78 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES Thursday, June 20 5:39 a.m. Wake up (Payload Crew) 5:54 a.m. Wake up (Flight Crew) * 6:24 a.m. Breakfast and Crew Photo 6:54 a.m. Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2) 6:54 a.m. Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3, PS1, PS2) 7:04 a.m. Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2) * 7:15 a.m. Crew suiting photo * 7:34 a.m. Depart for launch pad 39B * 8:04 a.m. Arrive at white room and begin ingress * 9:19 a.m. Close crew hatch *10:49 a.m. Launch * Televised events (times may vary slightly) All times Eastern-- end -- 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. In the body of the message (not the subject line), type (no quotes) "unsubscribe shuttle-status", or "unsubscribe ksc-press-release."