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MISSION:
STS-107
-- SPACEHAB/FREESTAR
Microgravity Research Mission |
| Vehicle |
Columbia/OV-102 |
| Target Launch Date |
January 16, 2003 |
| Target Launch
Period |
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. EST |
| Target Landing Date |
February 1, 2003 |
| Mission Duration |
16 days |
| Crew |
Husband, McCool,
Anderson, Chawla, Brown, Clark, Ramon |
| Orbital Insertion
Altitude/ Inclination |
150
nautical miles/39 degrees |
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Shuttle
Processing Note (previous
notes) |
Launch countdown is continuing on schedule for Shuttle Columbia’s SPACEHAB microgravity research mission scheduled to launch this Thursday, Jan. 16. Final preparations and closeouts are ongoing at Pad 39-A. Loading of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Power Reactant Storage and Distribution System is complete. Technicians are continuing the 16-hour task of loading the late-stow payloads and experiments into the SPACEHAB module.
Mission managers met at the standard meeting held two days prior to launch to discuss the status of the countdown and any remaining technical issues. The Space Shuttle program reviewed the ongoing engineering analysis of a surface crack that was found on a 2.25-inch diameter metal ball associated with the Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly (BSTRA) inside Discovery's 17-inch liquid oxygen line. Managers feel confident with the outcome of the testing and analysis, but will meet again tomorrow for one final evaluation and decision point.
Today, weather forecasters predict a favorable outlook for a launch attempt on Thursday, with only a 5 percent chance of weather prohibiting launch.
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