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

STS-86 images

• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: Pad 39A
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 25 at about 10:34 p.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
• MIR DOCKING TIME: Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m. EDT
• UNDOCKING TIME: Oct. 3 at 11:46 a.m. EDT
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Oct. 5 at 6:56 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: Today, the STS-86 Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities concluded with a simulated engine cut-off at about 11 a.m. Technicians will complete installation of the pyrotechnic canister assemblies into Atlantis' aft compartment this week and aft close-outs will conclude on Thursday. The payload interface verification test begins tomorrow and the orbiter's payload bay doors will be closed for flight next Thursday.

On Friday, technicians will replace two integrated receiver decoders (IRD) on each of the two STS-86 solid rocket boosters. The IRDs are range safety devices or "black boxes" located in a booster's forward skirt. NASA engineers have opted to change-out the boxes because of suspect data cards located inside each IRD. Workers will retest the replaced components on Monday and managers do not expect the work to impact Atlantis' launch schedule.

STS-86 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• STS-86 Flight Readiness Review (Sept. 12)
• Payload Interface Verification Test (Sept. 12)
• Payload bay doors closed for flight (Sept. 18)

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

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 19 at 2:18 p.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 5 at 6:51 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: Evaluations of the remote manipulator system and fuel cell monitoring modifications continue. Space Shuttle main engines No. 1 and No. 2 will be installed next week, pending resolution of NASA's block IIA engine investigation. Insulation removal continues on Columbia's elevons and corrosion repair is in work on the external tank doors.

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

• Shuttle main engine installation begins (Sept. 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, Wolf (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 160 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Fuel cell/power reactant storage and distribution system testing concludes today and installation of Endeavour's auxiliary power unit No. 1 will wrap up tomorrow. Leak checks on the orbiter's main propulsion system continue and the left-hand orbiter maneuvering system arrives in the OPF tonight for installation tomorrow. In the Hypergol Maintenance Facility, technicians will back-fill the oxidizer tank on Endeavour's forward reaction control system and redrain the tank, delaying replacement of the system's last faulty transducer until Monday.

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

• Left-hand orbiter maneuvering system installed (Sept. 15)
• Tunnel adapter installation (Sept. 15)

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

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: OPF Bay 3
• 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: Removal of Discovery's three main engines is complete and auxiliary power unit removal begins this week. Inspection of the orbiter's radiators is complete and other post-flight inspections continue on schedule. Engineers are evaluating the possibility of replacing one or more of the Shuttle's windows due to micrometeorite impacts from its previous mission. Functional tests of the Shuttle's forward reaction control system continue through Friday.

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