The future
Flash | 20.06.2005 15:15
NASA's Space Shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space
Center (KSC), Fla.
Mission: STS-114 - 17th ISS Flight (LF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics
Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Launch Pad 39B
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window July 13 - 31, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Collins, Kelly, Noguchi, Robinson, Thomas, Lawrence and Camarda
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
On Wednesday, Discovery was rolled out to Launch Pad 39B by a giant
Crawler Transporter. The four-mile journey began at 1:58 a.m., and
the Space Shuttle arrived more than 10 hours later at 12:17 p.m. The
Crawler Transporter, which has a top speed of about one mph, traveled
even slower than normal. It stopped frequently so engineers could
address overheating bearings.
The payload canister, including NASA's Italian-built Multi-Purpose
Logistics Module Raffaello, was transferred to the launch pad on June
13. The payload bay doors were opened yesterday in preparation for
payload installation in the payload bay today. Following
installation, payload connections are scheduled for this weekend, and
payload/orbiter interface testing will begin early next week.
Preparations have begun for loading of hypergolic propellants,
currently scheduled for June 22. This process includes loading the
propellants, monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, into the
Orbiter Maneuvering System and the Forward Reaction Control System.
Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics
Module
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: Lighted Launch Planning Window September 9 - 24, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak and Wilson
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Power-up system testing is nearly complete on Atlantis in Orbiter
Processing Facility bay 1 for its mission to the International Space
Station.
The payload bay has been cleaned for flight and the doors closed.
Around the hinge line of the doors, technicians have completed
installing the tile which makes up the Shuttle's heat shield, or
Thermal Protection System. The doors were opened one more time to
perform checks of those tiles, and the payload bay doors were closed
for the final time in the Orbiter Processing Facility prior to
flight.
Technicians continue performing nose and main landing gear cycles to
check out compression of the new thermal barrier seals that were
added. The landing gear functional test is now scheduled for as early
as the middle of next week.
In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the External Tank (ET-120) and Solid
Rocket Boosters originally scheduled to fly with Space Shuttle
Discovery are located in high bay 1. This stack will now fly with
Atlantis. The liquid oxygen feedline bellows heater has been added to
this tank and final foam closeouts are progressing.
Endeavour (OV-105)
Endeavour is in its Orbiter Major Modification period which began in
December 2003.
External Tank/Solid Rocket Boosters
The third redesigned External Tank (ET-119) arrived at Kennedy Space
Center today. It will be offloaded Monday and transferred to the
Vehicle Assembly Building. ET-119 is currently scheduled to fly with
Atlantis on mission STS-115.
Previous Space Shuttle processing status reports are available on the
Internet at:
Flash
Homepage:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight