12.09.05 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington Phone: (202) 358-3749 Jessica Rye Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Phone: (321) 867-2468 STATUS REPORT: S-120905 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT Note: NASA's Kennedy Space Center issues Space Shuttle Processing Status Reports each week, and is the source for information regarding processing activities associated with the vehicles and payloads. This report does not necessarily reflect the chronological order of future Space Shuttle missions. If you are a member of the media and would like further information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/index.html. Discovery (OV-103) Mission: STS-121 - 18th International Space Station Flight (ULF1.1) Payload: Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006 Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles Processing continues for NASA's second space shuttle mission in the Return to Flight sequence. Wire inspections and chafe protection installation continue on the vehicle's reaction jet driver. The nose landing gear was cycled Thursday to support tile work on the shuttle's heat shield. The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is in the transfer aisle of the processing facility, awaiting installation in the vehicle. The boom installation has moved to next week to allow for final work on the pedestals and latches. Technicians continue to remove and replace gap fillers in a main priority area at a rate of about 100 gap fillers per day. This work is being performed due to two gap fillers that were protruding from the underside of Discovery on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. New installation procedures are being developed to ensure the gap fillers stay in place and do not pose any hazard during the shuttle's re-entry to the atmosphere. Engineers are evaluating data from two catch bottles that indicate higher levels of oxygen than expected in the shuttle's aft compartment during this summer's launch. A total of six bottles automatically capture samples for two seconds in pairs at precise times after launch and through the first two minutes of flight. While the higher readings have been categorized as a formal in-flight anomaly, the readings could be a mistake in the analysis. During Discovery's launch, all three main engines performed normally indicating there wasn't a significant oxygen leak from the engines in the aft compartment. Engine performance and the catch bottles are the only way to detect in-flight leaks. Atlantis (OV-104) Mission: STS-115 - 19th International Space Station Flight (12A) Payload: P3/P4 Solar Arrays Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 Launch Date: TBD Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles Technicians continue processing the mission to the International Space Station. Preparations are under way to drain Freon coolant loop No. 1 in support of a cold plate removal and replacement. The forward reaction control system was installed on Tuesday. This control system sits behind the nose cap and provides the thrust for rotational maneuvers and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis. Endeavour (OV-105) In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, technicians continue processing after a nearly two-year major modification period. Body flap preparations are nearing completion, with the body flap scheduled to be installed late next week. Installation of water spray boilers No. 1 and 2 continues, with work focused on the safety wiring. Wiring for the new external tank digital camera is ongoing. The vehicle will remain powered down for continued work on a new modification called the "station to shuttle power transfer system." The new system will allow the vehicle to stay docked to the International Space Station for a longer time than previously possible. Previous Space Shuttle processing status reports are available on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
