yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (03/06/90)
ATLANTIS STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1990
DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY, CALIF.
Atlantis landed at 10:08 a.m. PST on lakebed runway 23
ending the STS-36 Department of Defense mission. The total
distance the orbiter rolled out was 7,900 feet. Atlantis was
towed to the Mate Demate Device by about 3 p.m. yesterday.
Overall, the orbiter is reported to be in excellant condition.
About 62 dings in the tiles were counted by the debris team
yesterday. Tile engineers report that only one tile may have to
be replaced. The brakes and tires performed nominally. Drops of
hydraulic fluid have been observed in the right main landing gear
wheel well, the liquid hydrogen 17-inch disconnect cavity and
possibly around two of the main engines. Officials won't know the
source of the fluid until access is gained into the orbiter's aft
engine compartment.
Work at Dryden to prepare the shuttle Atlantis for the ferry
trip back to Florida is being hampered by high winds. Winds are
forecast between 25-35 knots with gusts up to 40 knots. Weather
conditions are expected to improve later tonight and through the
rest of the week. Work crews may be scaled back overnight because
of the winds.
Today, workers will perform a detailed post-flight
inspection of the thermal protection system, sample the potable
water in the crew module, install plugs and caps on the liquid
hydrogen T-zero connections and safe pyrotechnic devices on the
orbiter.
Later tonight, when the winds decrease, Atlantis will be
jacked and leveled in the Mate Demate Device. Access to the aft
compartment will be gained as soon as possible and ground power
supplies will be hooked up to the orbiter.
Other work necessary to configure the orbiter for the ferry
flight includes: offloading residual liquid hydrogen and liquid
oxygen reactants from the orbiter's onboard storage tanks,
installation of the tail cone over the three main engines and
bolting the orbiter to the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Officials are targeting for a one-day ferry flight back to
Kennedy Space Center, Florida pending favorable weather
conditions and the completion of planned work. A refueling stop
is necessary for the cross-country flight. That two-hour stop is
currently planned for Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The ferry flight is scheduled to begin no earlier than Saturday,
March 10.