MISSION: STS-86 -- 7th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM

STS-86 images

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: On orbit
• OFFICIAL KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 25 at 10:34 p.m.
• OFFICIAL MIR DOCKING TIME: Sept. 27 at 3:58 p.m. EDT
• OFFICIAL UNDOCKING TIME: Oct. 3 at 1:28 p.m. EDT
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Oct. 5 at about 7:00 p.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 20 hours, 22 minutes
• CREW: Wetherbee, Bloomfield, Parazynski, Titov, Chretien, Lawrence, Wolf (up), Foale (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: At Hangar AF, the solid rocket booster nozzles have been removed and were shipped to Utah at noon today. The entire disassembly process will be complete by Tuesday.

Atlantis undocked from Russia's Mir space station today at 1:28 p.m. EDT with all transfer and space walk activities successfully completed.

Forecasters are predicting generally favorable weather conditions for the first of two KSC landing opportunities on Sunday with the slight possibility of showers within 30 nautical miles of the runway. The first KSC opportunity is at 6:58 p.m. and the second is at 8:35 p.m. EDT. Edwards Air Force Base provides two opportunities at 8:30 p.m. and 10:06 p.m. EDT.

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

STS-87 images

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
• TARGET 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 7:19 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 16 hours, 33 minutes
• CREW: Kregel, Lindsey, Scott, Chawla, Doi, Kadenyuk
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 150 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: The STS-87 crew began their Crew Equipment Interface Test this morning at KSC. The familiarization activities will take them through Columbia's crew module and midbody and also on a visit of the Spartan payload in KSC's Vertical Processing Facility. As work continues to replace and retest connectors on Columbia's fuel cell monitoring system, managers are evaluating the impact, if any, to the scheduled date for roll over to the VAB.

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

• Crew Equipment Interface Test (Oct. 3)
• Final payload bay door closure (Oct. 14)
• Orbiter roll over to VAB (Oct. 20)

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, Wolf (down), Sharipov
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Leak and functional checks of Endeavour's three auxiliary power units conclude today. The orbiter's forward reaction control system was installed last night. In the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility, work is complete on the right-hand orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod and delivery to the OPF is slated for Saturday. Technicians will install the OMS pod on Endeavour on Monday. Orbiter docking system pyrotechnic checks are complete and docking mechanism checks are scheduled through the weekend.

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

• Right-hand OMS pod installation (Oct. 6)

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

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building
• 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: TBD
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Discovery remains in storage in VAB high bay 2 with the environmental control system purge equipment connected. The orbiter will remain in temporary storage until Oct. 27.

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