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: Midbody close-outs will conclude today and payload bay cleaning will follow early tomorrow morning. Radiator inspections are in work today and the payload bay doors will be closed tomorrow. Aft compartment close-outs were completed yesterday with installation of the aft doors. Columbia is set to roll over to the VAB on Friday evening to be mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters.

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

• Payload bay door closure (Oct. 22)
• USMP payload to Pad 39B (Oct. 23)
• Orbiter roll over to VAB (Oct. 24)
• Orbiter roll out to Pad 39B (Oct. 29)
• USMP payload installed (Nov. 1)
• Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Nov. 4 and 5)

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: Space Shuttle main engine installation was completed on Friday and main propulsion system/main engine integrated testing is under way. Orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pod verifications continue and leak checks are under way. Thruster installation begins Wednesday on the left-hand OMS pod. Mechanical mates of the orbiter docking system are complete and pyrotechnic connections will be made on Friday.

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

• Payload premate test (Oct. 24)
• Heat shield installation (Oct. 24)
• Transfer-tunnel installation (Oct. 28)
• Midbody Crew Equipment Interface Test (Nov. 7)

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. 30, at which time it will be transported to OPF bay 3.

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: OPF bay 3
• TARGET OMDP FERRY DATE: Nov. 12
• TARGET RETURN TO KSC: August 1998
• NEXT MISSION: STS-92 ISS-03-3A (3rd ISS flight)

NOTE: Preparations continue for Atlantis’ ferry flight to Palmdale, CA. The orbiter’s deconfiguration continues with the removal of the right and left hand OMS pods slated for Thursday and Friday respectively. Removal of auxiliary power units (APU) No. 2 and No. 3 is complete and APU No. 1 will be removed today. Fuel cell removal begins tomorrow. The orbiter maintenance down period (OMDP) in Palmdale, is scheduled to last a little more than nine months.

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/