Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-4769)
Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)
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June 3, 2005
| STATUS REPORT:
S05-022
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NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Status Report
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: Vehicle Assembly Building
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
In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), orbiter Discovery was demated, or removed, from its External Tank (ET-120) and Solid Rocket Boosters in high bay 1 on June 2. Discovery was lowered by crane onto the Orbiter Transporter System in the VAB transfer aisle.
The vehicle will be moved in front of high bay 3 in preparation for being lifted and attached to its new tank, ET-121, on June 6. That tank was originally scheduled to fly with Atlantis on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121. A new heater was added to the tank's feedline bellows, part of the pipeline that carries the liquid oxygen to the orbiter's main engines, to minimize the potential for ice and frost buildup.
Once mated to the new tank, technicians will work final closeouts on the fully assembled Space Shuttle stack, and perform liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen electrical mates and an interface verification test. Discovery is currently scheduled to return to Launch Pad 39B on June 13.
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
Technicians continue power-up testing on Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 for its mission to the International Space Station. Forward-, midbody- and aft-area closeouts are continuing. Atlantis is currently scheduled to be rolled from the processing facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building in mid-July.
Electrical test checkout of the Orbiter Maneuvering System and Forward Reaction Control System is ongoing. Next week, technicians will begin cleaning the payload bay. Once all the work is completed, the payload bay doors will be closed in the Orbiter Processing Facility for the final time prior to flight.
The third redesigned External Tank (ET-119) is scheduled to be shipped from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Kennedy Space Center on June 9. It will arrive via a specially designed barge about five days later. ET-119 may fly with Atlantis on its Return to Flight mission. Endeavour (OV-105) Endeavour is in its Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003. Previous Space Shuttle processing status reports are available on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight
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