yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (04/27/89)
KSC SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING REPORT - THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
STS-30 - ATLANTIS (0V 104) - PAD 39-B
All countdown activities are on schedule and going smoothly.
At 8 a.m. today, at the T minus 11-hour mark, the countdown
entered the third and longest of the seven built-in holds. This
hold will extend to 11:34 p.m. tonight.
During the hold, the launch team will activate and warm up
the orbiter's inertial measurement units, configure equipment at
the pad for launch and install film in over 100 cameras at the
pad. Another activity routinely performed as the countdown
resumes is retraction of the Rotating Service Structure. However,
schedulers are planning to move the RSS back to the launch
position earlier today between 6 - 8 p.m. when access to the
vehicle is no longer needed.
The launch team is closing out the tail service masts on the
launch platform. These masts are used in delivering the
propellant from the ground to the external tank during propellant
loading which occurs several hours prior to launch.
Yesterday, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants were
loaded into the orbiter's onboard storage tanks. The orbiter's
communications systems have been activated and data lines to
Houston have been checked out.
The stowable mission specialists seats have been installed
in the crew cabin and other flight crew equipment is being
installed today.
Weather forecasts are good for the time of launch. Winds
are forecast to be coming from the east to southeast 10 to 15
knots. A single layer of scattered clouds is predicted at the
4,000 ft. level and the temperature expected is 87 degrees.
Today the five-member STS-30 flight crew will receive a
status briefing on the vehicle, payload and weather and will have
some free time this afternoon. They are scheduled to be awakened
at 8:59 a.m. tomorrow in preparation for launch.
Launch of mission STS-30 remains scheduled for April 28 at
2:24 p.m. (EDT) with a window of 23 minutes.