KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1998 (3:18 PM EDT)

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

      Launch Viewing Information
      MISSION: STS-95 -- SPACEHAB-SM, SPARTAN & HOST

      STS-95 images

      • VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
      • LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. EST
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Nov. 7 at 12:04 p.m. EST
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours and 30 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 8 days, 22 hours and 4 minutes
      • CREW: Brown, Lindsey, Parazynski, Robinson, Duque, Makai, Glenn
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 310 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

      NOTE: Technicians have completed checks of Discovery's Ku-band antenna system and plan final stowage later today. Pressurization of the landing gear tires for flight is also complete. Checkout of the robot arm concluded earlier this week and orbiter midbody close-outs continue on schedule.

      Preparations are under way for tomorrow night's payload bay door closure. Today, workers are conducting aft compartment structural leak checks and completing forward compartment close-outs. Saturday, Discovery's weight and center of gravity determination tests are scheduled and Sunday the vehicle will be placed on the orbiter transfer vehicle for Monday's rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

      In the VAB this week, workers completed installation of an accelerometer on the external tank and a camera on the left solid rocket booster's forward assembly. Data will be collected with these tools during ascent as part of the Shuttle program's study on how external tank foam debris contributes to orbiter tile damage. The focal point of the camera is delineated by a grid of small marks on the external tank near the left forward SRB/ET attach point. These marks may be visible when the Shuttle rolls out to Pad 39B on Sept. 21.

      STS-95 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • Payload bay door closure (Sept.10)
      • Orbiter roll over to VAB for mate to the external tank (Sept. 14 at about 9 a.m.)
      • Shuttle rolls to Pad 39B (Sept. 21)
      • Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Oct. 8-9)
      MISSION: STS-88 -- FIRST FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
      UNITY CONNECTING MODULE

      STS-88 images

      • VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 1
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Dec. 3 at 4:45 a.m. EST
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 14 at 11:14 p.m. EST
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 5 - 10 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 18 hours and 29 minutes
      • CREW: Cabana, Sturckow, Currie, Ross, Newman, Krikalev
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Endeavour's main landing gear wheel installation is complete. Workers removed radiator No. 3 from the orbiter's payload bay door yesterday. The removed radiators are being replaced by units outfitted with a new protective layer meant to reduce micro-meteorite impacts in flight. Radiator No. 2 will be replaced today. Shuttle main engine installation began today and preparations for external airlock leak checks are in progress. Functional tests on the tunnel adapter's upper hatch and robot arm checks are scheduled to occur later today.

      STS-88 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • Engine heat shield installation (Sept. 18)
      • Integrated orbiter hydraulic testing (Sept. 21)
      • Crew Equipment Interface Test (Sept. 25)
      MISSION: STS-93 -- Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)

      STS-93 images

      • VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 3
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 21, 1999 at 11:26 a.m. EST
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 26, 1999 at 10:33 a.m. EST
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 47 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 4 days, 23 hours, 7 minutes
      • CREW: Collins, Ashby, Hawley, Coleman, Tognini
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 153 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

      NOTE: Nitrogen servicing of Columbia's environmental control and life support system is complete. Hydrogen leak checks on the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system are in work. Technicians are draining the orbiter's waste tank today before replacing a faulty overboard dump valve.

      --end--

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