KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1999 (11:27 AM EST)
      MISSION: STS-96 -- 2nd U.S. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLIGHT
      SPACEHAB DOUBLE MODULE
      • VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 1
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 20, 1999 at 9:32 a.m. EDT
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 30, 1999 at 5:28 a.m. EDT
      • LAUNCH WINDOW: 5-10 minutes
      • MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 19 hours and 56 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: Yesterday, workers completed installation of the STARSHINE secondary payload into Discovery's cargo bay and interface verification tests are in work. Instrumentation has been installed on the orbiter to support International Space Station replenishment activities on orbit. This modification enables the Shuttle to provide ISS with oxygen, nitrogen and water. Today, technicians will install Discovery's drag chute. The controller for auxiliary power unit No. 2 is installed and undergoing checks this week. Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system for the orbiter's main propulsion system continues on schedule and base heat shield fastener modifications continue. Booster stacking operations are complete in VAB high bay 3 and closeouts are ongoing.

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

      • Shuttle main engine installation (Mar. 15)
      • Crew Equipment Interface Test (Mar. 24)
      • Orbiter rolls to VAB for mate to ET/SRB stack (April 12)
      • Shuttle rolls to Launch Pad 39B (April 19)
      MISSION: STS-93 -- Chandra X-ray Observatory (formerly AXAF)

      STS-93 images

      • VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
      • LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 2
      • 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 jacked and leveled in VAB high bay 2 undergoing system observation during a temporary storage period. Columbia will remain in the VAB until mid-April, when Shuttle Discovery rolls out of OPF bay 1. Columbia will then be transferred to OPF bay 1 to complete STS-93's orbiter prelaunch preparations.

      MISSION: STS-99 -- SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION (SRTM)
      • VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
      • LOCATION: OPF bay 2
      • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Sept. 27 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: Removal of Endeavour's three auxiliary power units is complete and installation of the left hand radiator No. 4 concluded this week. Valve modifications on freon coolant loop No. 1 continue to go well. Water spray boiler checks are under way. Preparations are in work to drain the orbiter maneuvering system crossfeed lines.

      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: October 14, 1999 about 9:30 p.m. EDT (under review)
      • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: October 25, 1999 about 4:30 p.m. EDT
      • 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: Work on Atlantis' tactical air and navigation system (TACAN) continues. Atlantis' orbiter maneuvering and reaction control systems are undergoing drain line modifications and the orbiter is scheduled to be powered up by the end of next week.

      --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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