yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (02/09/91)
GRO Status Report
Kennedy Space Center
February 8, 1991
George Diller
407/867-2468
FTS 823-2468
GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY/STS-37 (Atlantis-April, 1991)
The Gamma Ray Observatory began its 1-mile trip from the
Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to the Vertical Processing
Facility (VPF) at 5:00 a.m. Thursday morning as scheduled. It
arrived at the VPF air lock about one hour later and was moved
into the high bay at 8:30 a.m. Work was completed by early
afternoon to remove the protective covers and the anti-static
liner over the spacecraft. Preparations are being made today for
hoisting the Observatory into the west test cell. The actual
crane operation is scheduled for Saturday morning.
Next week, on Feb. 12 a two-day stand alone Observatory
functional test will be conducted. The following week the
integrated electrical tests are scheudled to start, beginning
with the Interface Verification Test on Feb. 19 to verify the
GRO's electrical compatability with the orbiter. The end-to-end
test will follow on approximately Feb. 21 to verify
communications between the Observatory and the Payload Operations
Control Center at Goddard. The payload will go to the pad on or
about Mar. 6.