yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (10/27/90)
Friday October 26, 1990 11:00 a.m. EDT
KSC SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT
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STS-38 -- Atlantis (OV-104) - Pad 39-A
Operations were briefly halted at the pad this morning as
SCAPE operations were instituted to repair minor leaks at the
hypergolic oxidizer and fuel farms. The pad was re-opened for
operations at 10:30 a.m. The leaks were thought to be as a result
of cooler weather experienced overnight. No impact in the
schedule is expected.
Purge operations of the external tank have been completed
following the successful tanking test Wednesday. Access was
gained to the aft compartment and work continues to ready the
vehicle for flight. At the pad today, fuel cell voltage
adjustments will be made.
This weekend, the mass memory unit on the orbiter will be
changed out and the Shuttle main engine flight readiness test
will be conducted. Monday, liquid oxygen tankers will arrive at
the pad to replenish the on-site storage tanks.
The Flight Readiness Review is scheduled for next Monday and
Tuesday, following which an announcement is expected setting the
launch date and launch period for Atlantis' Department of Defense
mission.
STS-35 -- Columbia (OV 102) - Pad 39-B
Foaming operations in the aft compartment have been
completed as workers make last minute preparations to ready the
Shuttle for the special tanking test early next week. The
schedule indicates the test of the liquid hydrogen lines on
Columbia will occur Tuesday, Oct. 30, with a slight possibility
that the test may slip a day, depending on work to be performed
this weekend.
Today crews will install special cameras in the aft
compartment for the tanking test. The cameras will allow
engineers an opportunity to view the compartment where the liquid
hydrogen lines are located and hopefully help isolate the exact
location of the leaks. The two special aft compartment doors made
of Lexan, a clear plexiglass-like material, have been installed.
Final baggy leak checks will take place Monday.
Payload servicing has been completed and the payload bay
doors will be closed late this afternoon.
STS-39 -- Discovery (OV 103) - OPF Bay 1
Power-on testing is scheduled to begin today, followed by
hypergolic offload preparations. Hypergols are scheduled to be
removed from the orbiter's OMS/RCS systems this weekend. The
Forward Reaction Control System has been re-scheduled to be moved
to the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility early next week.