yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (03/17/89)
KSC SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING REPORT - WEDNESDAY, MAR. 15, 1989
STS-29 - DISCOVERY (OV 103)
Liftoff of Discovery came at 9:57:00.0758 a.m., Monday,
March 13 (EST) after holding for nearly two hours for weather.
Launch Pad 39-B sustained minimal damage from the launch and the
mobile launcher platform is scheduled to be rolled back to the
Vehicle Assembly Building today.
The solid rocket boosters are now at Hangar AF where
hydrolasing activities are underway. Water is blasted on the
boosters at high pressure to strip off cork from the field joints
an paint on the motors. The parachutes have been offloaded.
Workers plan to begin troubleshooting the right aft booster joint
heater area tonight. One of the heaters shorted out during the
launch countdown and engineers want to determine the cause. The
boosters will be disassembled and sent back to Morton Thiokol for
refurbishment.
STS-30 - ATLANTIS (0V 104) - VAB
Atlantis was towed from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 to
the VAB on Saturday evening and the vehicle was reported hard
mated with the tank and boosters by 5:30 a.m. Monday. Mechanical
and electrical connections are complete and closeouts are active.
Power up of the vehicle planned this afternoon kicks off the
Shuttle Interface Test which verifies the critical connections
between the vehicle elements and the launch platform.
In parallel with orbiter mate activities, technicians are
removing heat shields from the three main engines in preparation
for removing the three high pressure oxidizer turbo pumps. New
pumps, built with an improved process to guard against moisture
entrapment, will be installed after the vehicle arrives at the
pad.
The Magellan payload is scheduled to be transferred from the
Vertical Processing Facility to the Launch Pad 39-B payload
changeout room on Friday. Atlantis is scheduled to be rolled out
to the pad on March 22 with first motion targeted for 12:01 a.m.
Magellan is scheduled to be installed in Atlantis' payload bay on
Friday, March 24.
The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test is scheduled to
begin on Friday, March 24 and culminate with a simulated T-zero
at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 25.
STS-28 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 1
All power reactant storage and distribution system tanks
have been installed and testing is scheduled. A master events
controller has been installed. A test to verify the systems in
the airlock is planned today. Later tonight, technicians are
scheduled to install the radiators. The forward reaction control
system is scheduled to be installed within a week.
STS-28 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - RPSF
Technicians are building up the left aft booster and
inspections of the right aft booster are beginning. Later today,
the booster is scheduled to be mated to the aft skirt.paul@mit-caf.MIT.EDU (Paul Meyer) (03/17/89)
In article <22814@ames.arc.nasa.gov> yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes: > STS-29 - DISCOVERY (OV 103) > > Liftoff of Discovery came at 9:57:00.0758 a.m., Monday, ^^^^^^^ Does anybody know how they define the liftoff time so accurately? Is it when the command to blow the bolts is sent or something like that? If it is when the shuttle physically loses contact with the pad, how do they determine it so accurately? I know it's a silly question, but I'm curious. -- Paul Meyer paul@caf.mit.edu Microsystems Technology Laboratory MIT