- VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
- LOCATION: Pad 39B
- TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: December 17 at 8:47 p.m. EST
- TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: December 26 at about 6:25 p.m. EST
- LAUNCH WINDOW: 42 minutes
- MISSION DURATION: about 8 days and 21 hours
- CREW: Brown, Kelly, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld, Nicollier, Clervoy
- ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 317 nautical miles/28.45 degrees
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1999 (3:30 PM EST)
Work in progress: Space Shuttle managers today announced a 24-hour delay in the launch of Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-103. The next launch opportunity is at 8:47 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. Shuttle engineers have requested the additional time to confirm the quality control processes for Arrowhead Products of Los Alamitos, California. Arrowhead is a vendor that provides welded propellant lines to the Shuttle Program, including main propulsion system (MPS) lines in the orbiter's aft engine compartment.
On Tuesday, the vendor's quality control personnel notified NASA of a welding flaw on a pressure line being fabricated for use on a future external tank. While Shuttle engineers have already exonerated Shuttle Discovery's external tank of any welding flaws, the ongoing evaluation will confirm the quality of the procedures used to manufacture Shuttle MPS lines. Though managers are confident in the structural integrity of Discovery's MPS lines, this evaluation is being conducted as a precaution.
Launch managers at KSC are not working any significant issues and stand ready to support tomorrow's launch opportunity. The countdown clock will hold at the T-11 hour mark and a decision to begin tanking operations will be made at about noon tomorrow. Weather officials indicate a 60 percent chance that weather will prohibit tomorrow's launch. The primary concern is thick cloud layers and the possibility of coastal showers.
| CREW FOR MISSION STS-103 | |
|---|---|
| POSITION | NAME |
| Commander (CDR) | Curt Brown |
| Pilot (PLT) | Scott Kelly |
| Mission Specialist (MS1) | Steve Smith |
| Mission Specialist (MS2) | Jean-Francois Clervoy |
| Mission Specialist (MS3) | John Grunsfeld |
| Mission Specialist (MS4) | Michael Foale |
| Mission Specialist (MS5) | Claude Nicollier |
| SUMMARY OF STS-103 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES Friday, December 17 |
|
|---|---|
| 11:00 a.m. | Crew wake up |
| 12:30 p.m. | Breakfast |
| 3:52 p.m.* | Lunch/Photo opportunity |
| 4:22 p.m. | CDR, PLT, MS2 weather briefing |
| 4:22 p.m. | MS1, MS3, MS4, MS5 don launch and entry suits |
| 4:32 p.m.* | CDR, PLT, MS2 don launch and entry suits |
| 5:02 p.m.* | Depart for Launch Pad 39B |
| 5:32 p.m.* | Arrive at white room and begin ingress |
| 6:47 p.m.* | Close crew hatch |
| 8:47 p.m.* | Launch |
*Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern
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Curator: Kay Grinter (Kay.Grinter@jbosc.ksc.nasa.gov) / InDyne, Inc.