MISSION: STS-87 -- U.S. MICROGRAVITY PAYLOAD-4

STS-87 images

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: On orbit
• OFFICIAL KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 19 at 2:46 p.m.
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 5 at about 7:23 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 16 hours, 37 minutes
• CREW: Kregel, Lindsey, Scott, Chawla, Doi, Kadenyuk
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 150 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: With only four days left in the mission, the STS-87 flight crew will focus their attention on the final three days of science operations on board Shuttle Columbia. All of Columbia's systems are performing very well.

MISSION: STS-89 -- 8th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM

STS-89 images

• VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 15, 1998 at about 1:03 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 24, 1998 at about 4:47 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes
• CREW: Wilcutt, Edwards, Dunbar, Anderson, Reilly, Sharipov, Thomas (up), Wolf (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Last week, technicians completed installation of Endeavour's transfer-tunnel and reconfiguration of the aft flight deck. Processing continues in the orbiter's midbody with work on thermal protective blankets and alignment of the on-board camera used during Mir docking operations. With final payload bay door closure moved to Friday, Endeavour is expected to roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sunday to be mated to the external tank. Additional work in the OPF, over the last few weeks, has shifted down stream milestones by a couple of days, but is not expected to impact the targeted launch date.

STS-89 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Final payload bay door closure (Dec. 5)
• Orbiter towed to VAB for mate to external tank (Dec. 7)
• Shuttle transferred to pad 39A (Dec. 12)
• SPACEHAB payload moved to pad 39A (Dec. 13)
• Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Dec. 17-18)

MISSION: STS-91 -- 9th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB-SM

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: OPF bay 2
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 28 at 8:33 p.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: June 7 at about 12:17 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes
• CREW: Precourt, Gorie, Lawrence, Chang-Diaz, Kavandi, Thomas (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Discovery's body flap continues to undergo corrosion repair. Fuel cell monitoring modifications have resumed following airlock removal last week. Fit checks of Discovery's thermal protective "chin panel" continue. Work to replace a check valve on the main propulsion system is under way.

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