NOTE: Inspections of the wiring in Discovery's forward and aft compartments are complete. Inspection and repair of the wiring in Discovery's midbody, above the payload bay liner, are very near completion. About 50 percent of wiring inspections and repairs below the payload bay liner are complete. NASA's wiring inspection and repair efforts have focused on high traffic areas within the orbiter and in areas where work had recently been performed. This week workers replaced an oxidizer valve on Discovery's orbiter maneuvering system and wire protection work continues.

Shuttle managers will meet Thursday afternoon to discuss the progress of the ongoing wiring maintenance effort, and to discuss mission priority and target launch dates for upcoming flights.

NOTE: Orbiter Endeavour has undergone inspections of the forward, midbody and aft compartments and repair efforts above the payload bay liner are near complete. Wiring protection efforts are ongoing and inspections beneath the orbiter's payload bay liner will begin as access is established. Last weekend, workers replaced Endeavour's oxygen/nitrogen panel and today leak checks are under way. In the Space Station Processing Facility, the freon line reinforcement clamp will be installed on the SRTM payload later this week.

NOTE: Orbiter Atlantis remains inside Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 2, awaiting the departure of Shuttle Columbia from OPF bay 3. Managers plan to move Atlantis to the OPF on Friday. While in the VAB, Atlantis has undergone midbody wire inspections and wireless video system installation is ongoing. Further wire inspection and repair will be conducted in the OPF.

NOTE: Orbiter Columbia's departure for Palmdale, CA is currently scheduled to occur at about 7 a.m. Friday. Final preparations for the cross-country ferry flight are under way and managers plan to move Columbia to the Mate/Demate Device at the Shuttle Landing Facility early tomorrow morning. Columbia will then be mounted atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 for departure the next day. The planned overnight stop at Luke Air Force Base has been canceled. Following the crash of an F-16 at Luke on Monday and an expected one-day slip in Columbia's arrival in Arizona, Luke officials expressed Shuttle support concerns. The current ferry flight plan has Fort Worth, TX slated as its only refueling stop and indicates a Palmdale, CA arrival before sundown on Friday, Sept. 24. Because the orbiter can not be flown through precipitation of any kind, ferry flight plans are contingent upon weather conditions in the flight path.

Information about the countdown and mission can be accessed electronically via the Internet at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/ and at http://shuttle.nasa.gov/