KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1997 (2:27 PM EDT)

      KSC Public Affairs Contact: Joel Wells (fax 407-867-2692)
      E-mail: J.Wells-1@ksc.nasa.gov
      MISSION: STS-84 -- 6th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM (image)
      • VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
      • LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 15 at about 4:07 a.m.
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 25 at about 8:27 a.m. (under review)
      • MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes (under review)
      • CREW: Precourt, Collins, Foale, Noriega, Lu, Clervoy, Kondakova
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Inspections of the bolt holes on two "pyro cans" in Atlantis' aft compartment continue. Preliminary data reveals deformation in the bolt holes of the plate assembly on the right hand orbiter/external tank attachment point. Engineers will continue to review the data and could give Shuttle managers the go ahead for roll over to the VAB as early as today.

      Pending resolution of the bolt hole issue, managers hope to have Atlantis' in the VAB and mated to the external tank by this weekend. In the VAB, the external tank and SRBs are ready for orbiter mating operations.

      STS-84 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • Roll over to the VAB (Saturday)
      • Orbiter mated to ET and SRBs (weekend)
      • Spacehab payload to the pad (April 22)
      • Orbiter to the pad (April 25)
      • Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (April 28-29)
      MISSION: STS-83R -- Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (image)
      • VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 (image)
      • LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
      • TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 1 at 2:37 p.m. (under review)
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 17 (under review)
      • MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 17 hours
      • CREW: Halsell, Still, Voss, Thomas, Gernhardt, Linteris, Crouch (image)
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

      NOTE: Fuel cell No. 1 leak checks will continue through this afternoon. Preparations continue for main engine removal on Friday and Saturday. Forward reaction control system functional tests were completed last night and FRCS removal is scheduled for Friday. Removal of the Spacelab tunnel is in work and Spacelab reservicing work will begin on Friday.

      In the VAB, the booster segments originally intended for use on STS-85 are being stacked for use on STS-83R. Work to mate the left forward center segment to the left aft center segment is scheduled for today and the left forward segment should arrive in the VAB today.

      MISSION: STS-85 -- CRISTA-SPAS-2
      • VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
      • LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
      • TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July/August (under review)
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 1 hour, 54 minutes
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: TBD
      • MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 20 hours, 48 minutes
      • CREW: Brown, Rominger, Davis, Curbeam, Robinson, Tryggvason
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/57 degrees

      NOTE: Preparations continue for forward reaction control system installation on Monday. Water spray boiler checkouts continue. Payload premate activities will continue through next week.

      STS-85 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • FRCS installed (April 21)
      MISSION: STS-86 -- 7th MIR DOCKING and LOGISTICS MODULE
      • VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
      • LOCATION: VAB bay 2
      • TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: September (under review)
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: September (under review)
      • MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 4 hours
      • CREW: Wetherbee, Bloomfield, Parazynski, Titov, Chretien, Lawrence (up), Foale (down)
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 170 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Purge lines have been hooked up to the orbiter in the VAB and will remain in place until its transfer to OPF bay 3, scheduled to occur after Atlantis moves to the VAB. No work is scheduled for Endeavour while in the VAB. The "pyro can" bolts and plate will be inspected in Endeavour's aft compartment once it arrives in the OPF.

      --end--

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