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: At the pad, close-outs of Atlantis' aft compartment are in work and the aft doors will be installed next Thursday. Payload close-outs are in work and the payload interface verification test is under way. The STS-86 Flight Readiness Review is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. tomorrow and managers are expected to announce an official launch date at the meeting's conclusion.

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 located in a booster's forward skirt. NASA engineers have opted to change-out the devices 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 (RMS) or robot arm have revealed faulty digital amplifiers in the joints of the arm. Managers plan to replace the RMS with one that was removed from Discovery earlier this week. Fuel cell monitoring modifications continue in Columbia's midbody. Space Shuttle main engines No. 1 and No. 2 will be installed next week, pending resolution of NASA's block IIA engine investigation. Auxiliary power unit lubrication and oil servicing begins tomorrow.

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: Endeavour's auxiliary power unit No. 1 was mounted in the orbiter yesterday and electrical mates are in work. The left-hand orbiter maneuvering system arrived in OPF bay 1 last night and inspections are under way. Leak and functional tests on the orbiter's main propulsion system continue. In the Hypergol Maintenance Facility, replacement of the forward reaction control system's (FRCS) last faulty transducer is now scheduled for Monday. Failure analysis of the transducers already removed from the orbiter's FRCS revealed that high voltage spikes from two ground sources caused the transducers to fail.

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: Auxiliary power unit removal is in work and functional tests of the Shuttle's forward reaction control system continue through Friday. Inspection of Discovery's rudder speed brake sector seals is under way. Technicians are deconfiguring the Shuttle's payload bay from the STS-85 mission, and in the crew compartment the commander and pilot seats will be removed tomorrow for modifications.

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