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

STS-87 images

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: Pad 39B
• KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 19 at 2:46 p.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 5 at about 7:20 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 16 hours, 34 minutes
• CREW: Kregel, Lindsey, Scott, Chawla, Doi, Kadenyuk
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 150 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: During hypergolic propellant loading, at about 10 p.m. yesterday, approximately 100 gallons of oxidizer leaked from propellant lines at Pad 39B. The leak occurred on the west slope of the pad and there was no injury to personnel nor damage to flight hardware. Environmental cleanup activities are in progress and preparations for propellant line rework and testing are under way. Gaskets on the newly refurbished oxidizer and fuel valves are being replaced and prelaunch hypergolic fuel loading has been rescheduled for Sunday. KSC managers do not anticipate an impact to Columbia's Nov. 19 launch date.

STS-87 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Prelaunch propellant loading (Nov. 9)
• Begin aft engine compartment close-outs (Nov. 11)
• Ordnance installation (Nov. 12)

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: Endeavour's fuel cell monitoring modifications and orbiter maneuvering system engine gimbal tests are complete. Close-outs of Endeavour's air lock are in work through Saturday and main propulsion system electrical close-outs continue. Retests of a left-side reaction control system thruster are under way. Payload premate testing continues and transfer-tunnel installation occurs next week.

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

• Midbody Crew Equipment Interface Test (Nov. 7)
• Transfer-tunnel installation (Nov. 14)
• Crew compartment CEIT (Nov. 15)

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: Technicians continue to work Discovery's "chin panel" modifications. Fuel cell monitoring modifications are proceeding on schedule.

STS-91 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Removal of the forward reaction control system complete (Nov. 30)

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: OPF bay 3
• TARGET OMDP FERRY DATE: Nov. 11
• TARGET RETURN TO KSC: August 1998
• NEXT MISSION: STS-92 ISS-03-3A (3rd ISS flight)

NOTE: Atlantis' payload bay doors are closed in preparation for its ferry flight to Palmdale, CA. Installation of the aerodynamic tail cone is complete. This afternoon, work begins to mate Atlantis to the orbiter transfer system and the move to the Mate-Demate Device, at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, is slated for Saturday. Mating of the orbiter to the top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is set for Nov. 10 and departure for Palmdale is planned for early Nov. 11. A one-day ferry flight is planned with a refueling stop in Texas, pending acceptable weather.

For automatic e-mail subscriptions to this daily Shuttle status report or KSC-originated press releases, send an Internet electronic mail message to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) type the words "subscribe shuttle-status", or "subscribe ksc-press-release" (do not use quotation marks). The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription.

To remove your name from the list at any time, send an e-mail address to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line), type (no quotes) "unsubscribe shuttle-status", or "unsubscribe ksc-press-release."

Status reports and other NASA publications are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/kscpao.htm

Information about the countdown and mission can be accessed electronically via the Internet at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/ and at http://shuttle.nasa.gov/