KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      MONDAY, JUNE 1, 1998 (6:03 PM EDT)
      Launch minus 1 day

      KSC Public Affairs Contact: Joel Wells (fax: 407-867-2692)

      Launch Viewing Information

      MISSION: STS-91 -- 9TH AND FINAL MIR DOCKING, SPACEHAB-SM, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)

      STS-91 images

      • VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
      • LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A
      • KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 2 at about 6:10 p.m. EDT
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:05 - 6:15 p.m.
      • MIR DOCKING DATE/TIME: June 4 at about 12:59 p.m. EDT
      • MIR UNDOCKING DATE/TIME: June 8 at about 12:01 p.m. EDT
      • KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: June 12 at about 2:03 p.m. EDT
      • MISSION DURATION: about 9 days, 19 hours, 53 minutes
      • CREW: Precourt, Gorie, Lawrence, Chang-Diaz, Kavandi, Ryumin, Thomas (down)
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Preparations for the launch of Discovery on mission STS-91 at 6:10 p.m. tomorrow continue on schedule. Members of the KSC launch team are not working any significant technical concerns at this time. Final preflight preparations of Shuttle main engines concluded today. Tomorrow, at about 12:30 a.m. the Rotating Service Structure will be retracted into the launch position. Loading of the external tank with its flight load of cryogenic propellants begins at about 9:14 a.m. tomorrow and continues for about 3 hours.

      Managers continue to monitor the situation with Mir's motion control computer. At this time, systems aboard Mir have stabilized sufficiently for managers to proceed with countdown operations tonight. A final check of Mir's systems will occur prior to tanking activities tomorrow morning.

      Members of the flight crew today took opportunities to fly in the NASA T-38 training jets. They also attended final briefings on the orbiter and payload systems. The STS-91 crew are: Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Wendy Lawrence, Janet Kavandi and Valery Ryumin. Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, currently on the Mir space station, will be returning with the rest of the crew following Shuttle/Mir docking operations.

      Air Force weather forecasts continue to indicate a zero percent chance that weather could prohibit launch activities tomorrow. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 4,000 feet and broken clouds at 30,000 feet; visibility of 7 miles; winds from the northeast at 8 - 12 knots; temperature 83 degrees F and relative humidity 70 percent. No precipitation is indicated in the forecast.

      The 24-hour scrub turnaround forecast reveals similar conditions with a zero percent chance of launch commit criteria violation.

      STS-91 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • Retract Rotating Service Structure to launch position (June 2 at 12:30 a.m.)
      • Begin loading external fuel tank with cryogenic propellants (June 2 at about 9:14 a.m.)

      SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-91
       T-TIME      LENGTH OF HOLD           HOLD BEGINS       HOLD ENDS 
T-11 hours    13 hours, 14 minutes  1:00 p.m. Mon.    2:14 a.m. Tues.
T-6  hours     2 hour               7:14 a.m. Tues.   9:14 a.m. Tues.
T-3  hours     2 hours             12:14 p.m. Tues.   2:14 p.m. Tues.
T-20 minutes  10 minutes            4:54 p.m. Tues.   5:04 p.m. Tues.
T-9  minutes  46 minutes            5:15 p.m. Tues.   6:01 p.m. Tues.

      CREW FOR MISSION STS-91
               Commander (CDR):  Charles Precourt 
             Pilot (PLT):  Dominic Gorie
Mission Specialist (MS1):  Franklin Chang-Diaz
Mission Specialist (MS2):  Wendy Lawrence 
Mission Specialist (MS3):  Janet Kavandi
Mission Specialist (MS4):  Valery Ryumin
Mission Specialist (MS5):  Andrew Thomas (down)

      SUMMARY OF STS-91 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
      Tuesday, June 2 

 7:00 a.m.  Wake up 
 7:30 a.m.  Breakfast
12:00 p.m.  Lunch
*1:09 p.m.  Crew photo
 1:39 p.m.  Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
 1:39 p.m.  Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3, MS4
 1:49 p.m.  Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
*2:00 p.m.  Suit up photo
*2:19 p.m.  Depart for launch pad 39A
*2:49 p.m.  Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*4:04 p.m.  Close crew hatch
*6:10 p.m.  Launch

      *Televised events (times may vary slightly)
      All times Eastern

      --end--

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