MISSION: STS-85 -- CRISTA-SPAS-2 (image)

Index of STS-85 images

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Pad 39A
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: August 7 at 10:41 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 1 hour, 39 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: August 18 at 7:05 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 20 hours, 24 minutes
• CREW: Brown, Rominger, Davis, Curbeam, Robinson, Tryggvason
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/57 degrees

NOTE: The launch countdown for STS-85 began yesterday at 3 p.m. and operations continue on schedule for the launch of Discovery on the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for Atmosphere (CRISTA-SPAS) mission. Loading of cryogenic reactants into the power reactant storage distribution system is under way and will conclude at about 3 p.m. today. Testing of Discovery's pyrotechnic initiator controllers will follow at 4 p.m. Servicing of the CRISTA-SPAS payload is complete and the payload bay doors were closed at about 5 a.m. today.

The orbiter's mid-body umbilical unit will be demated and retracted into the Fixed Service Structure tonight. Tomorrow, preparations will be made to retract the Rotating Service Structure to the launch position at about 4:30 p.m. Loading of the external tank with cryogenic propellants is scheduled to begin at about 1:50 a.m. on Thursday.

The STS-85 crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) yesterday at about 5 p.m. and today took opportunities to complete a few familiarization activities. Commander Curtis Brown and Pilot Kent Rominger practiced SLF approaches in the Shuttle Training Aircraft this morning as well.

On launch day, the STS-85 crew will depart the crew quarters for the launch pad at 7:26 a.m. and begin boarding Discovery about thirty minutes later. The hatch will close behind the crew at 9:11 a.m. in time for a 10:41 a.m. launch.

Air Force weather forecasters currently indicate a 40 percent probability that weather would prohibit Thursday's launch of Discovery. The primary concerns are low cloud ceilings, a slight chance of showers and thick cloud cover.

On Thursday, the winds at KSC are expected to be from the southwest at 8 knots gusting to 12 knots; temperature 84 degrees F; visibility 7 miles; humidity 75 percent; and clouds scattered-broken at 3000 feet. The 24-hour delay forecast reveals similar conditions with a 30 percent chance of weather violation.

 T-TIME      LENGTH OF HOLD              HOLD BEGINS         HOLD ENDS 
T-27 hours     4 hours  	       7:00 a.m. Tues.    11:00 a.m. Tues.
T-19 hours     4 hours                 7:00 p.m. Tues.    11:00 p.m. Tues.
T-11 hours    13 hours, 21 minutes     7:00 a.m. Wed.      8:21 p.m. Wed.
T-6  hours     1 hour                  1:21 a.m. Thurs.    2:21 a.m. Thurs.
T-3  hours     2 hours                 5:21 a.m. Thurs.    7:21 a.m. Thurs.
T-20 minutes  10 minutes              10:01 a.m. Thurs.   10:11 a.m. Thurs.
T-9  minutes  10 minutes              10:22 a.m. Thurs.   10:32 a.m. Thurs.

	 Commander (CDR):  Curtis Brown
	     Pilot (PLT):  Kent Rominger
Mission Specialist (MS1):  Jan Davis
Mission Specialist (MS2):  Robert Curbeam
Mission Specialist (MS3):  Stephen Robinson
Payload Specialist (PS1):  Bjarni Tryggvason

Thursday, August 7

   5:46 a.m.  Wake up 
   6:16 a.m.  Breakfast
*  6:16 a.m.  Crew Photo (All)
   6:46 a.m.  Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
   6:46 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3, PS1)
   6:56 a.m.  Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
*  7:15 a.m.  Crew suiting photo 
*  7:26 a.m.  Depart for launch pad 39A
*  7:56 a.m.  Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*  9:11 a.m.  Close crew hatch
* 10:41 a.m.  Launch

* Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern

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