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: Fuel cell voltage tests are complete. Work on Columbia's elevons and aft compartment close-outs continue. This weekend, interface verification tests will begin on STS-87's secondary payloads. Midbody close-outs conclude next week and payload bay door closure is set for Oct. 21.

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

• Final payload bay door closure (Oct. 21)
• 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: Thruster inspections are complete on Endeavour's right-hand orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod and forward reaction control system. Technicians are preparing to connect the oxidizer cross-feed lines to the OMS pod this weekend. Functional tests of the orbiter docking system continue.

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: Aug. 1998
• NEXT MISSION: STS-92 ISS-03-3A (3rd ISS flight)

NOTE: Orbiter maneuvering system purge operations are under way. The payload bay doors are open in support of Saturday's SPACEHAB and tunnel removal. Heat shield removal occurs this weekend and main engine removal follows on Monday. Removal of the pyrotechnic devices on the orbiter will conclude Sunday with removal of the docking system "pyros." Preparations for Atlantis' ferry flight to Palmdale, CA, for the scheduled orbiter maintenance down period (OMDP) are ongoing.

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/