KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1999 (4:59 PM EDT)
      MISSION: STS-96 -- 2nd U.S. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLIGHT
      SPACEHAB DOUBLE MODULE
      • VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
      • LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 20, 1999 at 9:32 a.m. EDT
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 30, 1999 at 5:27 a.m. EDT
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 10 minutes
      • ISS DOCKING DATE: May 22, 1999 at 4:01 a.m. EDT
      • ISS UNDOCKING DATE: May 27, 1999 at 10:07 p.m. EDT
      • MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 19 hours and 55 minutes
      • CREW: Rominger, Husband, Ochoa, Jernigan, Barry, Payette, Tokarev
      • ADDITIONAL PAYLOADS: ICC, STARSHINE, SVF AND IVHM
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Discovery is mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3. Standard Shuttle interface testing revealed that an electrical cable on the left solid rocket booster was not conveying necessary signals between the left aft segment and left forward segment integrated electronic assembly boxes. Troubleshooting efforts revealed that one connector on the cable needs to be replaced. Workers will replace the connector and retest it in the VAB tomorrow, accommodating a Friday morning Shuttle transfer to the launch pad. Managers expect no impact to the target launch date.

      STS-96 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

      • Shuttle rolls to Launch Pad 39B (April 23 at 7 a.m.)
      • SPACEHAB payload transfer to pad (April 27)
      • SPACEHAB installed into orbiter (April 28)
      • Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (April 29)
      MISSION: STS-93 -- Chandra X-ray Observatory (formerly AXAF)

      STS-93 images

      • VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
      • LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 9, 1999 at 1:19 a.m. EDT
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 14, 1999 at 12:20 a.m. EDT
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 46 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 4 days, 23 hours
      • CREW: Collins, Ashby, Hawley, Coleman, Tognini
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 153 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

      NOTE: Columbia is powered up in OPF bay 1. Orbiter mass memory unit loadingis complete and workers opened the payload bay doors last night. Orbiter processing for mission STS-93 resumes following routine OPF receiving inspections.

      MISSION: STS-99 -- SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION (SRTM)
      • VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 2
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 16, 1999 at 8:47 a.m. EDT
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Sept. 27, 1999 at 12:52 p.m. EDT
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours and 30 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 4 hours and 5 minutes
      • CREW: Kregel, Gorie, Kavandi, Voss, Mohri, Thiele
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 126 nautical miles/57 degrees

      NOTE: Modifications to Endeavour's radiator isolation valve are under way. Leak repair on the cold plate for the orbiter's power converter unit is ongoing. Orbiter docking system harness installation is in work and external airlock installation efforts conclude May 6.

      MISSION: STS-101 -- 3rd INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLIGHT
      SPACEHAB DOUBLE MODULE/ICC
      • VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 3
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: December 2, 1999
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: December 13, 1999
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 5-10 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 10 days and 19 hours
      • CREW: Halsell, Horowitz, Weber, Lu, Williams, Malenchenko, Morukov
      • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 nautical miles/51.6 degrees

      NOTE: Atlantis is under going standard life support system leak checks this week. Payload bay liner modifications continue.

      --end--

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      Author: Joel Wells / NASA Public Affairs
      Curator: Kay Grinter (kay.grinter-1@ksc.nasa.gov) / Information Dynamics, Inc.
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