yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (10/18/89)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE STATUS - Tuesday, October 17, 1989
STS-34 - ATLANTIS - (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-B
SCRUB STATUS
The launch of the shuttle Atlantis and mission STS-34 was
scrubbed today at about 1:18 p.m. because of rainshowers within
20 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility. This is in violation of
launch commit criteria for a Return To Launch Site abort
situation. The orbiter's onboard systems and ground support
equipment are being reconfigured to support a launch attempt
tomorrow.
The countdown will pick up at about 8:36 p.m. tonight at T
minus 11 hours and holding. At that time, preparations for re-
loading the external tank will be underway. Also at that time,
switches in the orbiter's crew cabin will be configured for
launch. The hold will last for 2 hours, 24 minutes. The count
will resume at about 11 p.m. this evening.
The external tank was drained of its flight load of liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants and the pad is being
reopened for limited access. Time critical items will be serviced
or changed out. There will be a routine pre-tanking weather
briefing tomorrow at about 3 a.m. Loading of the tank is
scheduled to begin at about 4 a.m. tomorrow morning.
The next hold will occur at the T-3 hour mark or at 7 a.m.
tomorrow. This will be a standard two-hour built in hold during
which time, the flight crew will be awakened and the closeout
crew and ice inspection team will go to the pad.
The weather forecast for launch time now reflects a 60
percent chance of acceptable weather. Clouds are forecast to be
scattered at 3,000 feet and scattered to broken at 10,000 and
25,000 feet. Visibility of 7 miles is predicted. A temperature of
87 degrees and winds will be out of the south/southwest at 10
knots gusting to 15 knots. Thunderstorms and rainshowers are
predicted to be in the KSC vicinity.
Tomorrow, the STS-34 flight crew schedule will be very close
to today's time line. They will be awakened around 7:30 a.m.,
have breakfast at 8 a.m., receive a weather briefing and don
their flight suits at 8:30 a.m. and depart for the launch pad
shortly after 9 a.m. They will begin entering Atlantis' cockpit
at about 9:45 a.m. The crew hatch is scheduled to be closed for
flight shortly after 11 a.m.
Launch is scheduled to occur at the opening of the launch
window or at 12:50 p.m. (EDT). The window for tomorrow closes at
1:19 p.m. (EDT).dkrause@orion.oac.uci.edu (Doug Krause) (10/18/89)
How much does it cost when a ready-to-go mission has to be scrubbed? Douglas Krause One yuppie can ruin your whole day. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- University of California, Irvine Internet: dkrause@orion.oac.uci.edu Welcome to Irvine, Yuppieland USA BITNET: DJKrause@ucivmsa
dbonds@walt.cc.utexas.edu (David Bonds) (10/19/89)
From what the "Daily Texas" (local student newspaper at UT), a scrubbed launch runs about $625,000, half of which is the cost for the fuel being loaded in and out of the tanks.
kendalla@pooter.WV.TEK.COM (Kendall Auel;685-2425;61-028;;pooter) (10/19/89)
In article <19771@ut-emx.UUCP> dbonds@walt.cc.utexas.edu (David Bonds) writes: > >From what the "Daily Texas" (local student newspaper at UT), a scrubbed >launch runs about $625,000, half of which is the cost for the fuel being loaded >in and out of the tanks. Not bad! You could scrub a launch each day for two years and still be about $50,000,000 under the cost of a single Stealth bomber!! Kendall Auel kendalla@pooter.wv.tek.com