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KENNEDY SPACE CENTERSPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1996 (10:00 AM EDT) KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692) E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov MISSION: STS-77 -- SPACEHAB-4 & SPARTAN 207 VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Pad 39B * TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 19 at 6:30 a.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes * TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 29 at 7:07 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 0 hours, 37 minutes CREW SIZE: 6 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 176 statute miles/39 degrees * Change from earlier status NOTE: Following yesterday’s Flight Readiness Review, NASA managers selected May 19th as the official launch date for Endeavour on mission STS-77. The 2 1/2 hour window opens at 6:30 a.m. EDT. Managers selected May 19 over May 16 (as was originally targeted) due to a scheduling conflict with range operations on Cape Canaveral Air Station. Today at the pad, work continues to close-out the aft engine compartment and a functional check of the contingency spacesuits will be performed. KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Complete aft engine compartment close-outs (Friday) * Ordnance (Part 2) operations and pressurize hypergolic reactants (Tuesday) * Begin launch countdown (4 a.m. May 16) * Crew arrival (9 a.m. May 16) MISSION: STS-78 -- LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SPACELAB (LMS) VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 20 at about 10:49 a.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 6 at about 8:46 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 21 hours, 57 minutes CREW SIZE: 7 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 statute miles/39 degrees NOTE: Installation of the Spacelab transfer tunnel is complete. Aft engine compartment close-outs are in work this week. Final inspections of the main engine nozzles are also underway. KEY STS-78 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Spacelab transfer tunnel interface verification test (Thursday) * Crew equipment interface test (Friday) * Final payload bay door closure (May 17) * Roll orbiter to Vehicle Assembly Building (May 23) MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 TARGET LAUNCH DATE: July 31 at about 11:42 p.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE: August 9 at about 8:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 8 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes CREW SIZE: 6 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees NOTE: Installation of fuel cell no. 2 continues today as does a functional check of the orbital maneuvering system pods. Leak checks and functional tests on the auxiliary power units will continue this week. Managers are re-evaluating the scheduled events over the next several weeks. Main engine installation may be delayed in order to provide better times to remove and replace three reaction control system thrusters. The long term schedule will not be impacted. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking of the left hand solid rocket booster continues. KEY STS-79 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Install Space Shuttle main engines (May 20)
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