yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (11/30/90)
Wednesday November 21, 1990 11:00 a.m. EST
KSC SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT
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STS-38 -- Atlantis (OV-104) - OPF Bay 2
The orbiter Atlantis landed without incident on Kennedy
Space Center's runway 33 yesterday at 4:43 p.m. concluding a 4
day, 21 hour, 54 minute, 28 second Department of Defense
dedicated mission. Atlantis' main gear touched down at 4:42:43
p.m. Rollout distance was 8900 feet.
Initial indications reveal minimal tile damage and the tires
and brakes were reported to look good. All systems functioned
properly during descent.
The vehicle was safed at the runway and towing operations
began at about 8:45 p.m. The vehicle was in the Orbiter
Processing Facility bay by 10:27 last night. Purge operations of
the on-board propellant tanks is underway today with the
anticipation that all safing operations will be completed by mid-
day Thursday.
Atlantis had been scheduled to land at Edwards Air Force
Base, Ca. However, due to adverse winds and standing water on the
dry lake bed, and a forecast for no improvement of weather
conditions on the following day, the decision was made at
approximately 1:30 p.m. to land at KSC. This was the sixth
shuttle landing at the space center -- the first for Atlantis.
This was also the first landing at the launch site in five and a
half years.
Approximately four hours following the landing, the five-
member crew departed for Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. Crew
members for STS-38 include Commander Richard Covey, Pilot Frank
Culbertson, and Mission Specialists Sam Gemar, Robert Springer,
and Carl Meade.
STS-35 -- Columbia (OV 102) - Pad 39-B
Preparations for launch of the shuttle Columbia will begin
winding down today to allow work crews time off for the
Thanksgiving Holidays. Work will resume at pad 39-B Saturday.
Today, the external tank purges have been completed and the
mass memory units are in the final stages of being loaded for
flight on the orbiter. Access platform will be removed from the
payload bay and the doors closed today for the holidays.
A target launch date for mission STS-35 is scheduled to be
announced following the Flight Readiness Review on Nov. 27.
STS-39 -- Discovery (OV 103) - OPF Bay 1
Ammonia boiler decay checks continue today on the orbiter
Discovery in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The left hand
brakes and wheels have been installed on the vehicle and the
freon coolant line will be brazed into place today. The main
engines are scheduled for installation following the Thanksgiving
Holidays.
At the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility, screen tests
continue on the reaction control systems. In the Vehicle Assembly
Building, a small imperfection was discovered on the left forward
solid rocket booster segment between the propellant and the
inhibitor. The segment will be moved outside the VAB where crews
will repair the problem.