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: Payload premate tests are in work through Wednesday. Preparations for the fuel cell voltage test on Thursday are under way. With body flap repairs complete, close-outs continue through Friday.

With extended work required in Columbia's midbody, rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building for mate to the complement of external tank and solid rocket boosters has moved to Oct. 24 and roll out to Pad 39B is scheduled for Oct. 29.

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

• Final payload bay door closure (Oct. 15)
• Orbiter roll over to VAB (Oct. 24)
• Orbiter roll out to Pad 39B (Oct. 29)
• Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Nov. 3 and 4)

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: Functional tests of Endeavour's forward reaction control system are under way. Right-hand orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod installation began this morning and will conclude this afternoon. Tunnel adapter leak checks are wrapping up today. Solid rocket booster stacking started yesterday with the arrival of the left aft booster segment in the VAB. The right aft segment arrived in the VAB this morning.

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

• Shuttle main engine installation begins (Oct. 14)
• Payload premate test (Oct. 20)

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 is 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.

• 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: Shuttle Atlantis touched down on KSC's runway 15 at 5:55 p.m. EDT yesterday. The orbiter was towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility early this morning following a smooth Spacehab destow and arrived in the OPF at 4:50 a.m. Preliminary inspections of the vehicle revealed minimal damage to the thermal protection system (TPS). Initial indications show Atlantis' lower surface sustained a total of 71 hits to the TPS, of which 23 had a major dimension of 1-inch or larger. The tires were reported to be in good condition for a cross wind landing on the KSC concrete runway.

The STS-86 crew spent last night at KSC and will depart for Houston this afternoon from the Cape Canaveral Air Station skid strip.

Spacehab and tunnel removal are slated for Saturday and main engine removal occurs on Monday. Work to turn around some of the STS-86 flight hardware for Endeavour's STS-89 mission starts next week. Preparations for Atlantis' ferry flight to Palmdale, CA for the scheduled orbiter maintenance down period (OMDP) will follow in the weeks to come.

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