yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (03/12/89)
KSC SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING REPORT - FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1989
STS-29 - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-B
The launch countdown for Mission STS-29 began on time at
12:01 a.m. EST this morning at the T-43 hour mark. All countdown
activities are on schedule leading up to the launch on Monday,
March 13 at 8:07 a.m. EST. The window extends for two and a half
hours or until 10:37 a.m. EST.
The countdown entered its first built-in hold today at 4
p.m. at the T-27 hour mark. This is an eight hour hold lasting
until midnight tonight. During this hold, workers will finish
closing out the aft compartment and install the flight doors.
When the countdown resumes, the orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks
will be loaded with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants.
The pad will remain cleared of non-essential personnel during the
loading operation which is scheduled to be completed by 8 a.m.
tomorrow.
The countdown will enter the second built-in hold at 8 a.m.
tomorrow at the T-19 hour mark. This hold will give the launch
team time to catch up with activities that may have fallen behind
or to resolve any problems that may have occurred during the
loading operation.
Final inspections of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
and Inertial Upper Stage have been completed and the payload bay
doors were closed for flight at 11:30 a.m.
The five member STS-29 flight crew arrived in their T-38 jet
aircraft at about 4:15 p.m. today. Early tomorrow, Commander
Michael Coats and Pilot John Blaha will fly in the Shuttle
Training Aircraft. The STA cockpit is configured like that of the
space shuttle. Later in the morning, all crew members including
Mission Specialists James Buchli, James Bagian and Robert
Springer, will fly in the T-38 jets. Also scheduled for tomorrow
are astronaut fit checks of flight equipment.
STS-30 - ATLANTIS (0V 104) - OPF BAY 2
Final operations are underway to prepare Atlantis for
transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building no earlier than
Saturday, March 11 at 8 a.m. Technicians changed the left
outboard main landing gear tire today because the over-inflation
plug was over-torqued. Workers found some contamination on the
external tank's 17-inch liquid oxygen disconnect flapper valve.
Today workers gained access to the area and will clean the area
prior to mating with the orbiter. The tank and boosters are mated
on a mobile launcher platform in the Vehicle Assembly Building.