KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
      THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1999 (3:08 PM 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: This week, the STS-96 crew completed orbiter and payload familiarization activities during a standard Crew Equipment Interface Test. Discovery's main propulsion system leak checks also concluded this week and now heat shield installation is under way. Instrumentation wiring continues in the orbiter's aft compartment as part of drag chute and vehicle health monitoring work. Auxiliary power unit functional testing is also in progress.

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

      • Orbiter rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building (April 14)
      • Shuttle rolls to Launch Pad 39B (April 21)
      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 Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 2 undergoing system observation during a temporary storage period. Columbia will remain in the Vehicle Assembly Building until mid-April, when Shuttle Discovery rolls out of Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. Columbia will then be transferred to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 to complete STS-93's orbiter pre-launch 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: Installation of Endeavour's three auxiliary power units is complete. Replacement of window No. 8 is also complete. Preparations are in work to remove the left orbital maneuvering engine next week. Valve modifications on freon coolant loop No. 1 continue and water spray boiler checks are under way. Fuel cells No. 1 and No. 2 are scheduled for replacement this week.

      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: Checks on Atlantis' main propulsion system liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen valves are complete. Orbital maneuvering and reaction control systems are undergoing drain line modifications and helium system leak checks are ongoing.

      --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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