NOTE: This is the first KSC Space Shuttle status for 1997. (There were no status reports issued from Dec. 19 - Jan. 1 due to the holidays.)

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: Pad 39B
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 12, 1997 at about 4:27 a.m. EST
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
• DOCK WITH MIR: Jan. 13 at about 11:40 p.m. EST
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 22 at about 8:40 a.m. EST
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes
• CREW: Baker, Jett, Grunsfeld, Ivins, Wisoff, Linenger (up), Blaha (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Holiday outage deconfiguration is in work for all three orbiters at KSC. The payload bay doors were reopened today to gain access to the airlock C-hatch. Functional tests on C-hatch, scheduled for today, will conclude the hatch actuator testing on Atlantis. Main propulsion system tests are scheduled for tonight

Officials at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center recently approved the solid rocket booster nozzles for flight as is.

KEY STS-81 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Close payload bay doors for flight (this weekend)
• Flight Readiness Review (Jan. 6)
• Begin countdown (Jan. 9)

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: February 13, 1997 at 2:59 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 61 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: February 23, 1997 at 1:35 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 22 hours
• CREW: Bowersox, Horowitz, Lee, Hawley, Harbaugh, Smith, Tanner
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 360 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Preparations to open the payload bay doors are in work. The Ku-band antenna retest and payload testing will continue today. Discovery’s aft compartment close-outs are also in work. In the VAB, preparations are in work to mate the orbiter to the external tank.

KEY STS-82 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Roll to VAB (Jan. 10)
• Roll out to Pad 39A (as early as Jan. 16)

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 27 at 2:19 p.m. EST
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: April 12 at 7:47 a.m. EST
• MISSION DURATION: 16 days
• CREW: Halsell, Still, Voss, Thomas, Gernhardt, Linteris, Crouch
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Preparations are underway to open Columbia’s payload bay doors. STS-83 booster stacking operations continue in the VAB. The left aft booster has been mated and preparations are underway for stacking of the left aft center segment.

KEY STS-83 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Open payload bay doors (Today)

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