Launch Countdown Began Aug. 24 for Space Shuttle Atlantis

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08.24.06

Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 51-06 (revised)

LAUNCH COUNTDOWN BEGAN AUG. 24 FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS

NASA began the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on 
mission STS-115 at noon EDT Thursday, Aug. 24, at the T-43 hour 
point. During this mission, Atlantis' crew will resume the 
construction of the International Space Station, which is the goal of 
the remaining space shuttle flights in the program.

The Kennedy Space Center launch team will conduct the countdown from 
the newly renovated Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center. The 
countdown includes 33 hours, 24 minutes of built-in hold time leading 
to a preferred launch time at about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27, 
with a launch window extending about five minutes.

This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for 
orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space 
Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned KSC 
landing at about 12:02 p.m. EDT on Sept. 7.

Atlantis rolled into KSC's Orbiter Processing Facility on Oct. 18, 
2002, after returning from its last mission, STS-112. Its next 
mission was planned to be STS-114; however, during the program delays 
following the loss of orbiter Columbia, Atlantis was reassigned to 
mission STS-115. The orbiter rolled out of the facility's bay 1 and 
into the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 24. While in the 
building's high bay 3, Atlantis was mated to its modified external 
tank and solid rocket boosters. The entire space shuttle stack was 
transferred to Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 2.

The STS-115 crew includes Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson, 
and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heidemarie 
Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean of the Canadian Space Agency.

During mission STS-115, Atlantis will dock with the station and the 
crew will perform three spacewalks. The astronauts will deliver and 
install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment to the 
station's girder-like truss backbone. The new piece will include a 
second set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated 
electronics. Together, the trusses and solar arrays will provide 
one-fourth of the total power-generation capability of the completed 
station.

To prepare for the extravehicular activities, the spacewalkers will 
perform a new "campout pre-breathing exercise." These crew members 
will reside in the station's airlock overnight, where the pressure 
will slowly be reduced. Harmful gases will thereby be removed from 
their blood, allowing them to gradually acclimate to the lower 
pressure they will encounter outside the station. Provisions are 
onboard to support as many as three additional spacewalks, if 
required to complete mission objectives.

For information about the STS-115 crew and the mission to the 
International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

(end of general release)

COUNTDOWN MILESTONES 
*all times are Eastern

Launch-3 Days (Thursday, Aug. 24)

Prepare for the start of the STS-115 launch countdown 
Perform the call to stations (11:30 a.m.) 
Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (noon) 
Begin final vehicle and facility closeouts for launch 
Check out backup flight systems 
Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems 

Load backup flight system software into Atlantis' general purpose 
computers 
Remove flight-deck platforms (8:30 p.m.) 
Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution 
system (11 p.m.) 

Launch-2 Days (Friday, Aug. 25)

Activate and test navigational systems (1 a.m.) 
Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (4 a.m.) 

Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 4 hours (4 
a.m.)

Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel 
Perform test of the vehicle's pyrotechnic initiator controllers 

Resume countdown (8 a.m.)

Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' fuel cell 
storage tanks (8 a.m.)

Enter 10-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (4 p.m.)

Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (4:30 p.m.) 
Resume orbiter and ground support equipment closeouts 

Launch-1 Day (Saturday, Aug. 26)

Resume countdown (2 a.m.)

Final preparations of the shuttle's three main engines for main 
propellant tanking (2 a.m.) 
Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (4 a.m.) 
Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (7 a.m.) 
Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform 
Begin star tracker functional checks (9:50 a.m.) 

Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 34 minutes (10 a.m.)

Activate orbiter's inertial measurement units 
Activate the orbiter's communications systems 
Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (10:55 a.m.) 
Flight crew equipment late stow (3:10 p.m.) 
Move Rotating Service Structure to the park position (7 p.m.) 
Perform ascent switch list 
Fuel cell flow-through purge complete 

Resume countdown at T-11 hours (11:34 p.m.)

Launch Day (Sunday, Aug. 27)

Activate the orbiter's fuel cells (12:45 a.m.) 
Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel 
Switch Atlantis' purge air to gaseous nitrogen (1:20 a.m.) 

Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (4:34 a.m.)

Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to 
cryogenic loading of the external tank 
Clear pad of all personnel 

Resume countdown (6:34 a.m.)

Chilldown of propellant transfer lines (6:34 a.m.) 
Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of 
cryogenic propellants (about 6:44 a.m.) 
Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid 
hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 9:34 a.m.) 
Final Inspection Team proceeds to launch pad 

Enter planned 3-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (9:34 a.m.)

Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration 
Align Merritt Island Launch Area tracking antennas 
Perform open loop test with Eastern Range 

Resume countdown at T-3 hours (12:34 p.m.)

Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (12:40 p.m.) 

Complete closeout preparations in the White Room 
Check cockpit switch configurations 
Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 1:10 p.m.) 
Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and Mission 
Control 
Begin to close Atlantis' crew hatch (about 2 p.m.) 
Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks 
Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks 
Complete White Room closeout 
Closeout crew moves to fallback area 
Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight 
system 

Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (3:14 p.m.)

NASA test director conducts final launch team briefings 
Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments 

Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (3:24 p.m.)

Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration 
Start fuel cell thermal conditioning 
Close orbiter cabin vent valves 
Transition backup flight system to launch configuration 

Enter estimated 40-minute hold at T-9 minutes (3:35 p.m.)

Launch director, Mission Management Team and NASA test director 
conduct final polls for "go/no go" to launch

Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 4:21 p.m.)

Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9 minutes) 
Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30) 
Start mission recorders (T-6:15) 
Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5) 
Arm solid rocket booster and external tank range safety safe and arm 
devices (T-5) 
Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55) 
Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55) 
Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30) 
Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55) 
Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55) 
Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35) 
Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57) 
Deactivate bi-pod heaters (T-1:52) 
Deactivate solid rocket booster joint heaters (T-1) 
Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds) 
Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds) 
Booster gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds) 
Ignition of three space shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds) 
Booster ignition and liftoff (T-0)

CREW FOR MISSION STS-115
Commander: Brent Jett 
Pilot: Chris Ferguson 
Payload Commander (MS1): Joe Tanner 
Mission Specialist (MS2): Dan Burbank 
Mission Specialist (MS3): Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper 
Mission Specialist (MS4): Steve MacLean 

SUMMARY OF STS-115 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

Sunday, Aug. 27
6:30 a.m. -- Crew wakes up 
7 a.m. -- Breakfast 
*10:55 a.m. -- Television coverage from crew quarters 
Noon -- Weather briefing 
*12:10 p.m. -- Don flight suits 
*12:40 p.m. -- Depart for launch pad 
*1:10 p.m. -- Arrive at White Room and begin ingress 
*2:25 p.m.-- Close crew hatch 
*4:30 p.m. -- Launch 

* Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern

	
-end-



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