• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Pad 39B
• TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: December 11 at 12:13 a.m. EST (under review)
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: December 20 at about 9:21 p.m. EST
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 38 minutes
• MISSION DURATION: about 9 days and 21 hours
• CREW: Brown, Kelly, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld, Nicollier, Clervoy
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 317 nautical miles/28.45 degrees

Work in progress: The seven-member STS-103 flight crew arrived at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility tonight at about 8:20 p.m. During the days leading up to launch, the crew will participate in orbiter and mission familiarization activities. They will take opportunities to fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and will undergo routine preflight medical exams.

At Launch Pad 39B, workers continue efforts to close out Shuttle Discovery’s aft compartment for flight. During routine engine compartment inspections today, workers found a 1/8-inch nick in the insulation of a Shuttle main engine wire. The wire provides command and feedback support for Discovery’s No. 2 main engine. Following an engineering evaluation meeting this evening, Shuttle managers decided to replace the damaged wire and reported that a one-day launch slip is possible. Managers will further assess the impact to the processing schedule and expect more information by late tomorrow.

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