yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (12/06/89)
Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. December 5, 1989
Karl Kristofferson
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
LAUNCH ADVISORY: STS-32 COLUMBIA MISSION LAUNCH DATE SET
At the conclusion of today's STS-32 Flight Readiness Review
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Space Shuttle managers set
a target launch date of Dec. 18, 1989. This mission will deploy
the Syncom IV communications satellite and retrieve the Long
Duration Exposure Facility. In addition, as a 10-day flight, it
is the first of a series of missions to extend the mission
duration of the orbiter.
This mission is also the first from a new mobile launch
platform and the first reflight from Pad 39A. Due to work on
these facilities, there is a higher than normal probability of
developing problems that might result in a short delay to the
launch date.
The launch window will open at approximately 7:29 p.m. EST
and last for approximately 62 minutes. The exact launch window
will be based on the latest tracking data for the LDEF.
At the present time, no major issues are being worked which
might impact the launch date.