yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (04/10/90)
KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, APRIL 9, 1990 - 4:30 P.M.
STS-31 - DISCOVERY (OV-103) - LAUNCH PAD 39-B
LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY
Events leading to Tuesday's launch of the Space Shuttle
Discovery on mission STS-31 are proceeding on schedule and
without problem.
At 7:00 a.m. this morning, the countdown went into a planned
built in hold at the T-11 hour mark. During this 11 hour, 27
minute hold, a series of significant events took place which
included the activation and warm up of the orbiter's inertial
measurement units, stowing of the flight crew's equipment in the
crew cabin and movement of the Rotating Service Structure into
the park position. First motion occurred about 1:30 p.m.
Mission managers will meet later tonight to give the final
go ahead to start the loading of the external tank with super-
cooled liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This work is scheduled
to begin about 12:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. Transfer of the fuels
takes approximately 3 hours to complete.
Earlier this morning, the STS-31 flight crew spent some time
flying in their T-38 training aircraft. Following the scheduled
flight, they received vehicle and payload status briefings. They
will review their flight data files tonight before going to bed
at 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow, the crew is scheduled to be awakened at
3:52 a.m. for breakfast, weather briefings and suiting. Following
suiting, the crew will depart for launch pad 39-B at 5:32 a.m.
Once the crew arrives at the pad, egress into the orbiter is
scheduled to begin around 6:00 a.m.
The STS-31 crew consists of Commander Loren Shriver, Pilot
Charlie Bolden and Mission Specialists Steven Hawley, Bruce
McCandless, and Kathryn Sullivan.
Forecasters indicate a 40 percent overall probability of
violating weather constraints throughout the entire window. The
frontal boundary currently in southern Florida is expected to
move northward through the KSC area prior to the beginning of the
launch window. Moist southeasterly winds off the Atlantic Ocean
will produce continuing scattered to broken low level clouds with
an increased concern for launch winds beginning at approximately
10 a.m. There is a minimal threat of some rain. Currently,
surface winds are forecast to be out of the east/southeast at 10
knots gusting to 18 knots and increasing to 12 knots, gusting to
20 knots. The temperature is expected to be 72 degrees.
Launch of Discovery on Space Shuttle Mission STS-31 is
targeted for 8:47 a.m. EDT on April 10. The launch window extends
until 2:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
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The KSC news center will remain open around the clock
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NASA select television coverage of the launch will begin at
4:00 a.m. launch morning.