Mission Name: STS-88 (93) Endeavour (13) Pad 39-A (67) 93rd Shuttle Mission 13th Flight OV-105 Night Launch (21) 1st USA Space Station Assembly Flight KSC Landing (46) Night Landing (10) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Robert D. Cabana (4), Mission Commander Frederick W. Sturckow (1), Pilot Nancy J. Currie (3), Mission Specialist Jerry L. Ross (6), Mission Specialist James H. Newman (3), Ph.D, Mission Specialist Sergei K. Krikalev (4), Mission Specialist (Russia) Milestones: OPF1 -- 2/01/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/02/1998) VAB -- 10/15/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/15/1998) PAD -- 10/21/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/21/1998) Payload: Space Station Assembly Flight 2A (ISS-01-2A) / Unity Module (Node 1, PMA1/2), ICBC, SAC-A, MightySat-1, SEM-07, GAS (G-093) Mission Objectives: The seven-day mission will be highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-built Node 1 station element to the Functional Energy Block (FGB) which will already be in orbit, and two spacewalks to connect power and data transmission cables between the Node and the FGB. The FGB, built by Boeing and the Russian Space Agency, is scheduled for launch on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan in November 1997. Node 1 was originally scheduled for Launch December 4, 1997 but was rescheduled for launch in July of 1998. Node 1 will be the first Space Station hardware delivered by the Space Shuttle. It has two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA), one attached to either end. One PMA is permanently mated to the FGB and the other used for orbiter dockings and crew access to the station. Node 1 also will contain an International Standard Payload Rack used to support on-orbit activities once activated after the fifth Shuttle/Station assembly flight. To begin the assembly sequence, the crew will conduct a series of rendezvous maneuvers similar to those conducted on other Shuttle missions to reach the orbiting FGB. On the way, Currie will use the Shuttle's robot arm to place Node 1 atop the Orbiter Docking System. Cabana will complete the rendezvous by flying Endeavour to within 35 feet of the FGB, allowing Currie to capture the FGB with the robot arm and place it on the Node's Pressurized Mating Adapter. Once the two elements are docked, Ross and Newman will conduct two scheduled spacewalks to connect power and data cables between the Node, PMAs and the FGB. The day following the spacewalks, Endeavour will undock from the two components, completing the first Space Station assembly mission. Other payloads on the STS-88 mission will be the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), the Argentinean Scientific Applications Satellite-S (SAC-A), the MightySat 1 Hitchhiker payload, the Space Experiment Module (SEM-07) and Getaway Special G-093 sponsored by the University of Michigan. Launch: December 4, 1998 3:35:34 a.m. EST (8:35:34 GMT). 5-10 minute launch window. On Thursday, December 4, 1998 the launch countdown continued on schedule with only a slight delay in the tart of tanking. The crew departed the Operations and Checkout Building shortly after midnight and proceeded to Pad 39-A. The hatch was closed and locked for flight at approximately 1:10 am EST. At 2:29am EST the countdown clock came out of the hold at the T-minus 20 minute mark beginning the terminal portion of the launch countdown. At 2:41am EST the countdown clock entered a 45 minute hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark. During this time the shuttle launch director conducted a poll of the launch team and all systems were ready for flight. At 3:33am the Orbiter Access Arm was retracted and the command was given to the crew to close and lock their visors. Liftoff occured exactly ontime at 3:35:34am EST (8:34am GMT). On Wednesday, December 3, 1998 the launch attempt for a 3:58am EST launch was scrubbed at the T-minus 19 second mark after a smooth countdown. After arriving at the pad, the crew proceeded to the 195ft level where one by one, they ingressed into the orbiter. The hatch was closed at 01:56 am EST. At 3:42am EST, in a poll of the launch team by NTD during the T-minus 9 minute mark, all systems were go for launch except a constraint due to RTLS weather. A go was given to come out of the hold as scheduled and countdown to the T-minus 5 minute mark. At 3:49am EST, a go was given for RTLS weather and the countdown clock proceeded thru the optional hold at the T-minus 5 minute mark. The Orbiter Access Arm (OAA) was retracted at 3:51am EST at T-minus 7 minutes. At T-minus 4 minutes 24 seconds a master alarm in the crew cabin was noted and the countdown clock automatically stopped the clock at a built in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. The alarm was due to pressure on Hydraulic System #1 temporarily registering below 2800 psi during its startup transition from low to high. The launch countdown was then held at the T-31 second mark to further assess the situation. Shuttle system engineers attempted to quickly completed an assessment of the suspect hydraulic system and eventually gave an initial "go" to resume the countdown. With only seconds to respond, launch controllers were unable to resume the countdown clock in time to launch within the allotted remaining indow, which was limited due to liquid oxygen (Lox) drain-back constraints. Managers are discussing the 24-hour launch turn-around plans and are expected to make a final determination later this morning. On Wednesday, December 2, 1998 Endeavour's inertial measurement units were activated and film installed in numerous cameras on the launch pad. The orbiter's communications systems were activated at 2:30 a.m. and safety personnel conducted debris walk downs. Flight crew equipment late stow began at 6 a.m. and the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was moved to the park position at around 8 a.m. EST. Loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants began at about 6:40 p.m and completed by 9:30pm EST.. On Tuesday, December 1, 1998 Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay closeouts were complete and the doors are closed for flight. The orbiter's backup flight systems have been tested and load tests on the Shuttle's data processing system are complete. Loading of cryogenic reactants into Endeavour's power reactant storage and distribution system concluded early this afternoon. The orbiter midbody umbilical unit was demated and retracted into the Fixed Service Structure at Pad 39A. The orbiter's navigation system self tests and main engine final preparations were also completed. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/01/1998) On Monday, November 30, 1998, the crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center around midnight EST and the launch countdown began on schedule at 7 a.m. in KSC Firing Room 3. Workers finished final payload bay closeouts and the payload bay doors were closed for flight. Air Force weather forecasters are indicating a 60 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Dec. 3. The threat of low cloud ceilings and showers are the primary concern. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/30/1998) On Monday, November 23, 1998, Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) managers gathered at KSC for the Flight Readiness Review (FRR). After reviewing Space Shuttle system and ISS topics, managers announced Dec. 3 as the official STS-88 launch date. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/23/1998) On Friday, November 6, 1998, at Launch Pad 39A, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) concluded at about 11 a.m. Crew members successfully conducted a launch day dress rehearsal complete with an orbiter crew compartment ingress and simulated main engine cut-off at T-5 seconds. The crew then practiced emergency egress procedures assisted by the KSC close-out crew. The crew departs KSC today at about 2:15 p.m. headed for their homes in Houston, TX. Orbiter inertial measurement unit calibration occurs today and preparations for payload interface verification testing are in work. The Unity connecting module will be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/06/1998) On Thursday, 11/5/98 At Launch Pad 39A, Endeavour's helium signature leak tests and secondary payload tests are complete. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of the orbiter's water spray boiler No. 3 and main engine testing occur this week. The STS-88 flight crew is at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Crew members are being briefed on orbiter and payload activities, practicing emergency escape procedures and conducting a full dress rehearsal of launch day activities on Friday. The countdown test culminates with a simulated main engine cutoff at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The Unity connecting module will be installed in orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/05/1998) On Wednesday, October 21, 1998, Shuttle Endeavour is now hard down on Launch Pad 39A. The Shuttle began its 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the pad at about 2:18 a.m. today. Launch pad validations are under way and tonight workers will conduct a planned hot fire of Endeavour's auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3. The Rotating Service Structure will be extended around the vehicle early Thursday morning and main engine flight readiness testing follows later in the day. The Unity Connecting Module payload arrives at the pad Monday for installation in the pad's payload changeout room. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/21/1998) On Thursday, 10/15/98 Endeavour was mounted on the orbiter transfer vehicle yesterday and began first motion to the Vehicle Assembly Building at 6:18 a.m. today. The orbiter is currently located in the VAB transfer aisle and will be mated to the STS-88 external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 3 later today. The Shuttle Interface Test will be conducted through Monday and the entire Shuttle stack will roll out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/15/1998) On Monday, 7/6/98, Endeavour's forward multiplexer demultiplexer and its dedicated signal conditioner are being replaced. Corrosion repair on the main engine heat shield attach points continues. Technicians are working to replace a pyrotechnic electrical harness on the orbiter's fire protection system. Testing of Endeavour's power reactant storage and distribution system is scheduled this week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/06/1998) On Monday, 6/22/98, Endeavour's water spray boiler checks were complete. Connection of the right hand OMS pod oxidizer transfer lines were complete and the fuel transfer lines will be connected later this week. Main engine heat shield attach point rework begins this week and today workers will conduct checks of the fuel cell No. 3 water relief panel. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/22/1998) Node 1 arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-5 air cargo plane on Monday, June 23 at 12:15 a.m. The node will be offloaded from the aircraft at 6 p.m. that evening and transported to the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). (Reference KSC Press Release 93-97) Orbit: Altitude: 173 nm. Inclination: 51.6 Orbits: 185 Duration: 11 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes, 47 seconds. Distance: 4.7 million miles Hardware: SRB: BIO-95 SRM: RSRM-67 ET : SN-97 MLP : SSME-1: SN-2043**A (HPOTP 8021, HPFTP 6014) SSME-2: SN-2044**A (HPOTP 8014, HPFTP 4116) SSME-3: SN-2045**A (HPOTP 8023, HPFTP 6015) Landing: December 15, 1998, KSC 10:53 pm EST At 9:23pm EST the crew of Endeavour was given a "go" for the deorbit burn and the burn occurred on time at 9:48 pm EST. The shuttle was originally scheduled to land on the Shuttle Landing Facility's (SLF) Runway 33, but the decision was made at about 9:00 pm in switch to Runway 15 (North to South). The weather was excellent for landing with few clouds in the area. Sonic booms were heard in the area at 10:50pm EST as Endevour dropped below the speed of sound. At 35,000ft while traveling at 570 mph, the crew performed a 245 degree turn along the Heading Alignment Circle (HAC) to align Endeavour with Runway 15. Winds were from 320 degrees at 5-10mph. Main gear touchdown occured at 10:53:29 pm EST at a mission elapsed time (MET) of 11 days, 19 hours 17 min 55 seconds. Nose Wheel Touchdown occured at at 10:53:38 pm EST (11 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes,4 seconds) and wheel stop at 10:54:21pm EST. (11 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes 47 seconds). The landing is the 46th landing at Kennedy Space Center, and the 18th consecutive KSC landing. It is also the 10th night landing in the history of the shuttle program, and the 5th KSC night landing. Mission Highlights: STS-88 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Thursday, December 3, 1998, 4:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #1 reports: The first International Space Station assembly mission was postponed for 24 hours when time ran out on today's launch window -- just as flight controllers had cleared the Space Shuttle Endeavour for liftoff. With the countdown clock at T-minus 4 minutes, STS-88 Commander Bob Cabana reported that a master alarm had sounded inside Endeavour's crew cabin, forcing the countdown to be placed on hold. Flight controllers in Houston and launch controllers in Florida worked feverishly and identified the cause of the alarm as a momentary low pressure indication in one of the shuttle's three hydraulic systems, but reported that all shuttle systems were working properly in spite of the alarm. Flight Director John Shannon gave a "go" for launch, but the launch team was unable to resume the countdown in time to make a rendezvous with the Zarya module, already on orbit. Launch support teams safed all of Endeavour's systems and began preparing to recycle the shuttle for another launch attempt on Dec. 4. The tentative launch time is 2:36 a.m. CST. Commander Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, Jerry Ross, Jim Newman and Russian Sergei Krikalev began closing out the crew cabin and preparing to exit the shuttle in a safe, orderly fashion. A briefing to discuss the events of the day will begin at 5 a.m. CST at Kennedy Space Center. On Friday, December 4, 1998, 3:30 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #2 reports: Five Americans and one Russian set off to begin building the International Space Station at 2:36 a.m. CST today, launching from Kennedy Space Center with the first American-built component of the station -- a connecting module named Unity -- in the Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay. The shuttle's climb to orbit was flawless. The STS-88 launch begins the largest cooperative space construction project in history. Endeavour is scheduled to rendezvous with the U.S.-funded and Russian-built Zarya control module on Dec. 6. Zarya, which in Russian means sunrise, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan, on Nov. 20. After reaching orbit, Commander Bob Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, Jerry Ross, Jim Newman and Sergei Krikalev began preparing for the first of several engine firings that will bring Endeavour within robot arm's reach of Zarya. Along the way, the crew will use the same 50-foot-long arm Dec. 5 to remove the Unity module from the payload bay and connect it to the shuttle's docking hatch. Crew members will use the robot arm to grapple Zarya about 5:48 p.m. CST Dec. 6 and dock it to one of Unity's two Pressurized Mating Adapters. Newman and Ross are scheduled to conduct the first of the mission's three space walks Dec. 7. The space walks will connect electrical and communications lines between Unity and Zarya, and prepare Unity's systems for activation. At launch, Zarya was making its 222nd orbit of the Earth about 240 statute miles above the Kennedy Space Center. Russian flight controllers in Mission Control Korolev reported that all systems aboard Zarya, which will provide the initial control and command capabilities for the space station, were functioning well with the minor exception of one of six battery charging systems. Endeavour is carrying replacement parts for the system in the event they are needed. After Endeavour undocks from the International Space Station on Dec. 13, the crew will deploy two small technology demonstration satellites called MightySat and the Argentine Satelite de Aplicaciones/Scientifico-A. The astronauts are scheduled to begin their sleep period at 7:36 a.m. CST, and will awaken at 3:36 p.m. for their first full day in space. On Friday, December 4, 1998, 9:30 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #3 reports: Endeavour's six astronauts wrapped up their first day in space a bit later than planned, at approximately 8:21 a.m. Central time today, when they began an abbreviated sleep period. Crew members were trouble-shooting a minor problem with the Orbiter Communications Adapter (OCA) system, which is used to transmit software files between the Space Shuttle and the flight controllers on the ground. A wake-up call from Mission Control is planned for 3:36 p.m. Central time, for the crew to begin their first full day of on-orbit activities. Following a smooth launch earlier today, Commander Bob Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, Jerry Ross, Jim Newman and Sergei Krikalev began preparing the orbiter for 12 days of operations to begin construction of the International Space Station. Endeavour is carrying the first American-built component of the station -- a connecting module named Unity -- in its cargo bay. Just half an hour after lift-off, the shuttle's payload bay doors were opened. A few minutes later, the crew was given the go-ahead to begin orbit operations - preparing the vehicle for space flight activities. The Shuttle's KU-band antenna, which provides high data-rate and television transmissions, was successfully deployed. Crewmembers also activated the Hitchhiker payload, which includes the Mightysat and SAC-A satellites that will be deployed late in the mission. The first of six engine firings to refining Endeavour's orbit and close the distance from the Zarya control module, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 20, also was completed early this morning. Final rendezvous maneuvers to bring Zarya (the Russian word for "sunrise") in close proximity with Endeavour is planned to take place on Sunday afternoon. Endeavour currently trails Zarya by approximatley 1,300 miles and is closing on Zarya at a rate of 675 miles per orbit. All systems aboard Zarya, which will provide the initial control and command capabilities for the space station, continue to function well with the minor exception of one of six battery charging systems. Endeavour is carrying replacement parts for the system in the event they are needed. After they wake up to begin Flight Day 2, Endeavour's crew will conduct a check out of the shuttle's robot arm that will be used to remove the Unity module from the payload bay and connect one of Unity's Preassurized Mating Adapters (PMA) to the orbiter's docking mechanism. The robot arm will also be used to grapple Zarya and dock it to the PMA located at the other end of the Unity connection module. Other Flight Day 2 activities will include a check-out of the spacesuits that will be used in three spacewalks planned for the mission, as well as checks of the SAFER unit. SAFER or Simplified Aid for EVA Resuce, is a mini-maneuvering unit that can provide self-rescue capability for a spacesuited crew member who inadvertently separates from a spacecraft during a spacewalk. All systems aboard Endeavour continue to perform well with the Shuttle currently flying in a 200 by 118 mile orbit, circling the Earth every 90 minutes. STS-88 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Friday, December 4, 1998, 7:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #4 reports: STS-88 Commander Bob Cabana and his crew received their first wake up call from Mission Control this afternoon at 3:36 p.m. CST to begin their first full day of on orbit activities. The crew were awakened with the song "Get Ready" by the Temptations, an appropriate description of the full slate of activities the crew will be involved with as they get ready for the important events of the flight by checking out the equipment and tools that will be utilized during rendezvous, docking and space walking activities. A series of precise maneuvering burns in the early portion of the flight will help Endeavour continue its pursuit of the Zarya control module. The orbital chase between the two spacecraft is scheduled to conclude on Sunday afternoon when Cabana maneuvers the Shuttle into close proximity with the first piece of the International Space Station and Currie uses the Shuttle's mechanical arm to grapple Zarya and dock it to the Unity connection module which will already be mated to the orbiter's docking mechanism. Events onboard Endeavour during the first half of today's activities have included the two EVA crewmembers - Mission Specialists Jerry Ross and Jim Newman - performing a checkout of the SAFER or Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue unit. SAFER is a mini maneuvering system that can provide self-rescue capability for a spacewalker if they inadvertently become separated from the spacecraft during a spacewalk. Also this afternoon, the crew downlinked video taken inside the crew cabin during their ascent to orbit. Later today Ross and Newman will setup the Orbiter Space Vision System equipment which provides the mechanical arm operator precise data on the position and alignment of hardware located in the area of the payload bay. Also in preparation for the three planned spacewalks, the cabin pressure inside Endeavour will be lowered from its normal 14.7 psi setting down to 10.2. The lower cabin pressure will shorten the amount of time Newman and Ross have to breath pure oxygen to prevent nitrogen bubbles from forming in their blood stream, a condition commonly referred to as "the bends" while they operate in the 4 psi environment of their spacesuits. Other activities later today will have Newman and Ross doing verification checks of the EVA suits they will use during their space walks as well as preparing the airlock area that they will use to transition into Endeavour's payload bay. Currie will power up the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) mechanical arm to make sure it is ready to support Unity module unstow and installation activities on Saturday afternoon. She will also use the RMS arm to perform a photo survey of the payload bay. There are no issues being worked by either the crew or the flight control team allowing all attention to remain focused on the mission objectives of this first ISS assembly flight. The STS-88 crew will finish their first full day of work early tomorrow morning and will begin a sleep rest period at 5:36 a.m. Saturday morning with their next wake up call coming eight hours later at 1:36 p.m. tomorrow. On Saturday, December 5, 1998, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #5 reports: Endeavour's astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 5:36 a.m. Central time following a full night of activity in which they checked out equipment that will be used in the assembly of the first two components of the International Space Station. With the Russian-built Zarya Control Module orbiting about 16,000 nautical miles in front of Endeavour, Mission Specialist Nancy Currie successfully checked out the 50-foot-long robot arm she will use to grapple the Unity connecting module late this afternoon. Currie will lift Unity out of the shuttle's cargo bay and carefully position it perpendicular to the shuttle, ready for latching to the Orbiter Docking System in the front portion of the bay. Currie moved the robot arm around the cargo bay last night, offering an extensive television survey of Unity and its pressurized mating adapters. Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman successfully tested all three of the space suits carried on Endeavour. They will use two of the suits during three space walks to hook up electrical cables and other connectors between Unity and Zarya. With the help of Pilot Rick Sturckow, the space walk choreographer on the flight, Ross and Newman also checked out a pair of jet-powered backpacks they will wear during the space walks as a precaution in the event they become untethered during their work in the void of space. Endeavour's cabin pressure also was lowered to 10.2 pounds per square inch to set the stage for the space walks, which begin late Monday afternoon. Commander Bob Cabana monitored the work as the astronauts extended the outer ring of the docking system on which Unity will be mounted later today, and Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev checked out other gear that will be used during Sunday's rendezvous to catch Zarya for its mating to Unity. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 202 statute miles, preparing to climb to about 240 statute miles for the rendezvous Sunday with Zarya. All of Endeavour's systems are functioning normally. The astronauts are scheduled to be awakened at 1:36 p.m. Central time to begin their third day of work on orbit. STS-88 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Saturday, December 5, 1998, 2:30 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #6 reports: Endeavour's astronauts were awakened at 1:36 p.m. Central time today to begin in earnest preparations for on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station. At about 3:50 p.m. Central time, Mission Specialist Nancy Currie will power up the shuttle's 50-foot-long robotic arm and use it to grapple the Unity connecting module, a procedure scheduled to begin at 4:06 p.m. Currie then will hoist the 12.8-ton Unity module out of Endeavour's cargo bay and carefully place it in position perpendicular to the shuttle. One of the mating adapters on Unity, called pressurized mating adapter 1 (PMA-1), will be latched to Endeavour's docking system using a mechanism identical to that used during Shuttle/Mir dockings. Currie will maneuver Unity precisely to within a few inches of the Shuttle's docking mechanism and then put the mechanical arm into a "limp" mode. Commander Bob Cabana will then fire Endeavour's thrusters to force the mechanisms together. Preparations for tomorrow's capture of Zarya will continue as the crew equalizes the air pressure between Endeavour and Unity's mating adapter. The astronauts then will enter the adapter to install caps on air vents between PMA-1 and Unity, and then readjust the Shuttle and mating adapter's air pressure to about 10.2 pounds per square inch. This equalization of air pressure between Unity's mating adapter and Endeavour's cabin is done to provide better structural performance of the docking mechanism during the capture and attachment of Zarya. The crew also will perform a check of connections with the docking mechanism located on the other end of Unity, called PMA-2, that will attach to Zarya. For the check, the docking ring on that adapter will be extended and retracted using controls located on the aft flight deck of Endeavour. Unity and its two mating adapters will form a complex 15 feet wide and about 36 feet long - taller than a 3-story building - towering above Endeavour's payload bay. This evening, astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman will check out the various tools they will use during the three scheduled spacewalks to be conducted later in the flight, and begin an early set-up of the Shuttle airlock in preparation for that first spacewalk on Monday. Later, Commander Bob Cabana and Newman will check equipment needed for tomorrow's rendezvous with Zarya, including laptop computer displays and a hand-held laser ranging device. Checks also will be performed of the Orbiter Space Vision System, an alignment aid for operations with the Shuttle's mechanical arm that will be used during the capture and attachment of Zarya. Newman and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev also will take time to take part in an on-line interview by the New York Times at 11:01 p.m. Central time. Endeavour is trailing Zarya by about 7,600 statute miles, narrowing the distance to the Russian-built module by almost 500 statute miles with each orbit. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 202 statute miles. An engine firing will be performed late today to raise the Shuttle's orbit and adjust the rate at which Endeavour is closing in on Zarya, which is currently in an orbit of about 240 statute miles. All of Endeavour's systems are in excellent condition. On Sunday, December 6, 1998, 3:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #7 reports: Astronaut Nancy Currie gently mated the 12.8-ton Unity connecting module to Endeavour's docking system late Saturday afternoon, successfully completing the first task in assembling the new International Space Station. Deftly manipulating the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm, Currie placed Unity just inches above the extended outer ring on Endeavour's docking mechanism, enabling Commander Bob Cabana to fire downward maneuvering jets, locking the shuttle's docking system to one of two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA's) attached to Unity. The mating occurred at 5:45 p.m. Central time, as Endeavour sailed over eastern China. The new connecting node, to which the Russian-built Zarya control module will be mated later today, towered almost three stories over Endeavour's cargo bay, awaiting the arrival of the Zarya, which was launched from Kazakstan on Nov. 20 on a Russian Proton rocket. After Unity was attached to the docking mechanism, the vestibule running between Unity's PMA-2 and the Orbiter Docking System was pressurized and the hatch was opened. Cabana and Jerry Ross entered the new module's adapter for the first time and placed caps over vent valves in preparation for the crew's entrance into Unity later this week. The astronauts also extended and retracted the docking ring on PMA-1, to which the Zarya module will be mated after it is grappled by Currie around 5:46 p.m. Central time this afternoon. The grapple of Zarya will follow a carefully choreographed rendezvous by Cabana and Pilot Rick Sturckow. Mission Specialists Jim Newman and Sergei Krikalev will use a number of rendezvous tools and hand-held lasers to provide range and closure rate information as Endeavour narrows the gap between itself and the Zarya. The rendezvous will begin about 12:30 p.m., with the final major maneuver planned for about 3:14 p.m. This terminal initiation burn will place Endeavour on a path to arrive about 500 feet below Zarya for the start of the final phase of the rendezvous. Working from the aft flight deck, Cabana will manually guide Endeavour in a looping maneuver to a point 250 feet above Zarya, where he will slowly close in on the 21-ton module for its grapple by Currie. Zarya will be the heaviest object ever handled by the shuttle's robot arm, exceeding the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory by about 7,000 pounds. Once Zarya is mated to Unity, the International Space Station components will rise some 76 feet above Endeavour's bay and have a combined weight of 35 tons. When it is fully assembled a few years from now, the new station will span the length of a football field and have a mass of more than a million pounds. While Endeavour orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 241 by 134 statute miles, Zarya continues in orbit at an altitude of about 240 statute miles with all of its systems operating in excellent fashion. Before the astronauts began an abbreviated 7-hour sleep period at 3:36 a.m. Central time, Cabana fired the shuttle's jets to keep a safe distance from a spent Delta II rocket casing during the sleep period. U.S. Space Command had alerted Mission Control that the shuttle would be passing near the debris from a Nov. 6 launch of communications satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and Flight Director John Shannon decided to have Cabana make the maneuver to ensure the crew's sleep would not need to be interrupted. When the crew awakens at 10:36 a.m. to begin preparations for their rendezvous, Endeavour will be about 20 miles farther away from Zarya than originally planned. However, the rendezvous burn schedule will not be affected. STS-88 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Sunday, December 6, 1998, 11:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #8 reports: Endeavour's crew awoke at 10:36 a.m. CST today to begin the orbital assembly of the International Space Station, uniting the first two station modules, Zarya and Unity. The astronauts were awakened to the sounds of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," requested by Commander Bob Cabana's daughter, Sarah. Endeavour's crew will begin the final stages of a rendezvous with the Zarya module with an engine firing planned at about 1:30 p.m. CST, when Endeavour is at a point about 55 statute miles behind Zarya. That burn will slow the rate at which the shuttle is closing on the module. The final phase of the rendezvous will begin at about 3:15 p.m. CST, when Endeavour performs a terminal phase initiation engine firing, or TI burn, at a point about 9 statute miles behind Zarya. The TI burn will place Endeavour on a path to arrive about 600 feet directly below Zarya on its next orbit of the Earth. With the three-story-high Unity connecting module latched upright in the shuttle's payload bay, Cabana will take manual control of the shuttle at about 4:45 p.m. CST as it moves to within about a half-mile of Zarya. Cabana and Pilot Rick Sturckow will execute a sequence of maneuvers that will bring Endeavour from 600 feet below Zarya along a circular path, passing about 350 feet in front of it! and finally reaching a point about 250 feet directly above the module. From there, Cabana will fly Endeavour down toward the Zarya, relying on views from television cameras in the shuttle's payload bay to align the module, since Unity obstructs the view out of the cockpit windows. Mission Specialist Nancy Currie will operate Endeavour's outstretched arm for the capture of Zarya. Mission Specialists Jim Newman and Sergei Krikalev will assist with the rendezvous, using a hand-held laser to provide range and closing rate information as Endeavour narrows the gap with Zarya. When the edge of Endeavour's payload bay is within 10 feet of Zarya, Currie will use the robotic arm to capture the module, about 5:46 p.m. CST. She then will maneuver it into a position precisely aligned above Unity's docking mechanism. The 21-ton Zarya will be the most massive object ever moved with the robotic arm, more than three tons heavier than the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory that was released using the arm on Space Shuttle mission STS-37. Once the Zarya and Unity docking mechanisms are aligned and positioned only inches apart, Currie will put the arm into a "limp" mode while Cabana fires Endeavour's thrusters to force the mechanisms together, about 7:36 p.m. CST. Zarya is 41.2 feet long and 13.5 feet wide at its widest point. Once attached to Unity, the new station will tower about 76 feet above Endeavour's payload bay and have a solar array span of about 78 feet and a combined mass of approximately 80,000 pounds. When fully assembled in 2004, the International Space Station will be larger than a football field and have a mass of more than one million pounds. Following the mating of Unity with Zarya, Sturckow and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross will begin early preparations for the crew's entry into the new station, planned for Thursday, and begin setting up equipment for tomorrow's planned spacewalk by Ross and Newman to connect power and data cables between Unity and Zarya. On Monday, December 7, 1998, 3:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #9 reports: Endeavour's astronauts continued the assembly of the International Space Station late Sunday, mating the Russian-built Zarya control module with the U.S.-built Unity connecting module in the shuttle's cargo bay following a flawless rendezvous and grapple of Zarya. Using the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm, astronaut Nancy Currie plucked Zarya out of orbit at 5:47 p.m. Central time Sunday, more than 16 days after it was launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan as the first component of the new station. After slowly and carefully aligning Zarya's docking mechanism with a comparable mechanism on Unity's Pressurized Mating Adapter-1, Commander Bob Cabana fired Endeavour's downward jets at 8:07 p.m. to drive the two large modules together. Initial attempts to firmly latch Zarya and Unity together while the shuttle's robot arm was attached to Zarya's grapple fixture were unsuccessful. But after Currie ungrappled the module, hooks and latches between Zarya and Unity engaged at 8:48 p.m., forming a tightly sealed, 35-ton, 76-foot-tall structure rising from Endeavour's payload bay, the size of a seven-story building. Currie used the robot arm cameras to conduct a detailed survey of Zarya, focusing on two antennas belonging to the Telerobtically Operated Rendezvous System (TORU), which failed to deploy following launch on Nov. 20. Flight controllers concluded that the pyrotechnic pins holding the antennas in place actually fired, but the antennas did not unfurl as planned. The antennas, which are part of a backup navigational aid system, are emitting signal strength in their current position and pose no problem for future station operations. But flight controllers are considering having astronaut Jerry Ross conduct a more thorough survey of the antennas while affixed to the end of the shuttle's robot arm during the first space walk he and Jim Newman will conduct Monday night. Mission managers have not decided whether Ross and Newman will be called upon to manually deploy the antennas on a future space walk. The first space walk, scheduled to begin about 4:30 p.m. Central time today, may begin earlier if Ross and Newman are ready to depressurize Endeavour's external airlock ahead of schedule. During the planned 6 =-hour excursion, Ross and Newman will hook up electrical cables and connectors between Zarya and Unity, enabling power to flow into the U.S. component for the first time. That will allow Unity's avionics, computers and heaters to be activated to set the stage for the ultimate shifting of command and control and the origination of the power for the International Space Station from the Russian components to the U.S components once the American-built Destiny laboratory is joined to the station in February 2000. Russian and American flight controllers also are continuing discussions on the possible swap out of a suspect component for one of Zarya's six batteries. The battery is not discharging properly in its automatic mode. A replacement unit is available for installation if mission managers approve the plan. The battery is operational and poses no threat to future station operations even if left in its current configuration. The astronauts are scheduled to begin an eight-hour sleep period at 3:36 a.m. Central time and will be awakened at 11:36 a.m. to prepare for the first space walk of the flight. Endeavour and the International Space Station are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 240 statute miles with all systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Monday, December 7, 1998, 12:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #10 reports: Following a wake-up call from Mission Control at 11:41 a.m. CST today, Endeavour's six astronauts began preparing for the first of three scheduled space walks. The wake-up song, "Jerry the Rigger," was in honor of Mission Specialist Jerry Ross, who with fellow Mission Specialist Jim Newman, will conduct more than 18 hours of space walks during this flight. Today's space walk, scheduled to begin about 4:30 p.m. Central time, may begin earlier if Ross and Newman are ready to depressurize Endeavour's external airlock ahead of schedule. This space walk, which will last 6-1/2 hours, will focus on connecting computer and electrical cables between Unity, the two mating adapters attached to either end of Unity, and Zarya. In all, Ross and Newman will make about 40 connections during the spacewalk. This will enable power to flow to Unity for the first time in orbit and will permit Unity's avionics, computers and heaters to be activated. Ross and Newman will begin today's space walk by readying Endeavour's payload bay for their activities. Then, as Ross rides on the shuttle's robot arm, he will install mating plugs and jumper cables to reroute power through Unity while Newman releases cables from where they were secured for launch on the mating adapter between Unity and Endeavour, called Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA 2). Ross and Newman will begin "plugging in" the cables and locking them into place, and then pull a thermal cover over each connector. The space walkers will next install a safety slidewire that will hold their tethers as they connect cables between the modules. They will repeat the cable connection process again as they make connections between Unity, Zarya and the mating adapter that attaches Unity to Zarya, labeled Pressurized Mating Adapter 1 (PMA 1). Finally, they will remove thermal covers from Unity's two exterior computers, known as multiplexer-demultiplexers (MDMs), which are mounted on PMA 1. Once the cables are connected, Russian ground controllers will send commands to Zarya to begin providing power to Unity, powering up Unity's exterior computers. At that point, Commander Bob Cabana and Mission Specialist Sergei Krikalev will send commands to the exterior computers to prepare them to accept ground commands that will activate systems aboard Unity. Before reentering Endeavour's airlock at the conclusion of the space walk, Ross and Newman may, if time allows, perform a close-up inspection of the Telerobotically Operated Rendezvous System (TORU) on the Zarya module. Although flight controllers are confident the pyrotechnic pins holding the TORU antennas did deploy as expected, the two antennas did not unfurl as planned following Zarya's launch on Nov. 20. The antennas are part of a backup rendezvous system and are emitting signal strength in their current position and pose no problem for future station operations. At this point, there are no plans for Ross and Newman to attempt to manually deploy the antennas on a future space walk. Early this morning, Russian and American flight controllers decided to have Krikalev replace a battery current converter unit in Zarya suspected of not working properly. A spare unit is carried aboard Endeavour. Krikalev has performed a similar activity in the past during stays on the Mir space station and will perform the task during the time the crew is inside Zarya on Thursday. Endeavour and the International Space Station are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 240 statute miles with all systems in excellent shape. On Tuesday, December 8, 1998, 5:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #11 reports: The first U.S. segment of the International Space Station came to life Monday night as the Unity module was activated for the first time. Activation followed the connection of electrical and data cables by Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman during a 7-hour, 21-minute space walk. Working smoothly and ahead of schedule, Ross and Newman mated 40 cables and connectors running 76 feet from the Zarya control module to Unity as the 35-ton station towered over the cargo bay of the shuttle Endeavour. The two veteran space walkers began their excursion at 4:10 p.m. Central time, quickly pressing ahead with the connection of crucial data and power cables between Zarya and Unity. Ross and Newman also installed handrails and other hardware that will help space walkers move around the station on upcoming assembly missions, completing all of the connections within three hours. At various times, robot arm operator Nancy Currie moved Ross and Newman around the station modules on the end of the shuttle's manipulator system to conduct their work. As Endeavour and the International Space Station passed over Russian ground stations, commands were sent from the Russian flight control team to activate a pair of Russian-American voltage converters, enabling power to flow from Zarya to Unity for the first time. International Space Station flight controllers in Houston saw Unity's systems come to life at 9:49 p.m., confirming perfect electrical continuity between the two modules. Unity's systems were then activated, including a pair of data relay boxes serving as the brain and nervous system for the U.S.-built component. Near the end of the space walk, Ross removed thermal covers from the relay boxes after Unity's heaters began to control the module's temperature. With Pilot Rick Sturckow serving as the space walk choreographer, Newman was raised on the robot arm to the Zarya module to take a close look at a pair of Russian rendezvous antennas that did not fully deploy following the module's launch on Nov. 20. The so-called TORU system serves as a backup to the automatic Kurs system on Zarya, providing navigational data for spacecraft approaching the Russian component for docking. Russian flight controllers say the TORU antennas are emitting signal strength, but space station managers wanted additional engineering data so they can decide on a course of action for deploying the antennas. Shortly before the space walk ended, Ross broke the record for most cumulative extravehicular activity time by a U.S. astronaut of 29 hours and 41 minutes previously held by former astronaut Tom Akers during five space walks on STS-49 and STS-61. Ross, who completed his fifth space walk tonight, now has 30 hours and 8 minutes of time spent in the void of space. About an hour after Endeavour's astronauts were scheduled begin an eight-hour sleep period at 3:36 a.m. Central time, Cabana asked if the wake-up time could be postponed. Mission Control agreed, and the crew now will be awakened at 12:06 p.m. to begin its sixth day in orbit. The astronauts plan to raise the altitude of the International Space Station by about 3 1/2 statute miles Tuesday by firing Endeavour's jets in the first of two planned reboost maneuvers. The crew also will take half a day off to relax and enjoy the view from orbit after a busy start to the first International Space Station assembly flight. Endeavour and the station are orbiting at an altitude of 242 statute miles with all systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Tuesday, December 8, 1998, 12:30 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #12 reports: At the request of Commander Bob Cabana, Mission Control delayed Endeavour's wake-up call by one-half hour today, waking the crew at 12:06 p.m. CST, after the astronauts remained up past their scheduled sleep time to enjoy the view and relax following a very busy and successful day yesterday. The crew was awakened by Dwight Yokum's "Streets of Bakersfield," requested by the wife of Pilot Rick Sturckow, a California native. Following yesterday's 7-hour, 21-minute spacewalk, Mission Specialists Jim Newman and Jerry Ross will relax today beginning preparations for tomorrow's spacewalk, the second of three planned during this mission. Ross, Newman and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie and Sergei Krikalev will set up and prepare equipment for tomorrow's spacewalk. This evening, all six astronauts will gather to review procedures prior to Ross and Newman's second excursion into space tomorrow. Flight controllers will conduct command checks between Mission Control, Houston, and Mission Control, Moscow, to verify the ability to command Zarya from Houston via the Moscow control center. In preparation for the crew's entry into the International Space Station on Thursday, the mating adapter between Unity and Zarya, Pressurized Mating Adapter 1 (PMA 1) will be pressurized via remote commands from Moscow and checked for leaks. Flight controllers in Houston also will power on filters and fans and monitor temperatures inside Unity as heaters warm up the module prior to Thursday's entry. Cabana and Sturckow will fire Endeavour's primary reaction control jets shortly after 2:30 CST this afternoon for about 22 minutes to raise the altitude of the International Space Station by about 5-1/2 statute miles. An opportunity for a second reboost maneuver is available later in the flight as well. At 5:41 p.m. this evening, Cabana, Sturckow and Currie will be interviewed by ABC News/Discovery Channel and MSNBC. Once these activities are completed, the crew will have off-duty time starting around 7:30 CST this evening. Endeavour and the International Space Station are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 240 statute miles with all systems in excellent shape. On Wednesday, December 9, 1998, 2:30 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #13 reports: Endeavour's astronauts boosted the fledgling International Space Station to a higher altitude Tuesday and had a chance to relax for a few hours as the first station assembly flight neared the halfway mark. Commander Bob Cabana and Pilot Rick Sturckow fired Endeavour's steering jets in a staccato fashion for about 22 minutes Tuesday to gradually raise the highest point of the shuttle and attached station's orbit about 5= statute miles to 248 miles. Throughout its lifetime, the station's altitude will be periodically raised to maintain a proper orbit. With all Endeavour and station systems in excellent shape, astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman prepared for a second space walk later today to set up a communications system in the Unity module that will allow U.S. flight controllers to monitor Unity's systems. The so-called S-band early communications system includes two boxy antennas that will be installed on the outside of Unity as one of today's first tasks, and avionics gear that will be set up inside Unity on Thursday after astronauts enter the module for the first time. A test of the system's videoconferencing capability is planned after Thursday's installation. Ross and Newman also will remove launch restraints over four hatchways on the Unity connecting node to which future station modules and an airlock will be attached. The hatchways, or Common Berthing Mechanisms, serve as docking ports for new hardware that will be delivered to the station over the next 18 months. Near the end of today's space walk, Newman will use a grappling hook in an attempt to unfurl one of two balky antennas on Zarya's backup rendezvous navigation system. The antennas would be used to transmit range and closure rate information to approaching spacecraft heading for dockings with the Russian control module. It is believed that stiff cabling or interference from thermal blankets on Zarya may be preventing the antennas from fully extending, even though pyrotechnic pins have fired to enable the antennas to roll free from their spools. Pending final approval from mission managers, Newman will attempt to free the antenna on the nadir port of Zarya today. If successful, the same procedure may be used to free the antenna on the zenith port Saturday. Before the astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period, International Space Station flight controllers in Houston reported that Unity's lower Pressurized Mating Adapter had warmed enough to permit astronauts to enter the module Thursday. Heaters were activated for the first time late Monday after power from Zarya was connected to the U.S. component. The astronauts are scheduled to be awakened at 10:36 a.m. Central time to begin space walk preparations. The space walk by Ross and Newman is scheduled to get under way about 3 p.m. Central time, but could begin as soon as the astronauts are ready to depressurize Endeavour's airlock. STS-88 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Wednesday, December 9, 1998, 2:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #14 reports: After enjoying a half day of rest yesterday, Endeavour's crew was awakened at 10:36 a.m. Central time to begin preparations for a second spacewalk. The crew awoke to the tune "Floating in the Bathtub," selected for Mission Specialist Jim Newman by his wife, Mary Lee. Today's s 6-1/2-hour space walk by Newman and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross is scheduled to begin about 3 p.m. Central time, but may start earlier if the astronauts are ready to depressurize Endeavour's ahead of schedule. Ross and Newman will install two box-like antennas on the outside of the Unity module that are part of the S-band early communications system. The antennas will allow U.S. flight controllers to monitor Unity's systems. Additional S-band electronics gear will be set up inside Unity on Thursday after astronauts enter the module for the first time. The spacewalkers also will connect an external video cable between Zarya and the S-band system. This cable will support early communications videoconferencing from Zarya. The system's ideoconferencing capability will be tested after Thursday's installation. Newman, positioned on the end of Endeavour's robot arm, then will install a sunshade over one of Unity's externally mounted computers. Ross and Newman will remove launch restraints over four hatchways on the Unity module to which future station modules, an early exterior framework and a cupola will attach. The hatchways, or Common Berthing Mechanisms, serve as docking ports for new hardware that will be delivered to the station during the next 18 months. Then Newman will install insulating covers on the trunnion pins that held Unity in the Shuttle's cargo bay. If time allows toward the end of today's spacewalk, and pending final approval from U.S. and Russian managers, Ross and Newman may try to free one of two balky antennas on the TORU system, Zarya's backup rendezvous navigation system. Still attached to the robot arm, Newman would use an extendable, 10-foot-long grappling hook in an attempt to unfurl the antenna. Flight controllers believe that stiff cabling or interference from thermal blankets on Zarya may be preventing the antennas from fully extending, even though pyrotechnic pins have fired to enable the antennas to roll free from their spools. If Newman is successful, the same procedure may be used to free the second antenna on Saturday during the third and final spacewalk. The last task for today will be to disconnect and stow cables that were used by Endeavour's crew to control the docking mechanism, called the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System (APAS), that docked Zarya to Unity earlier in the mission. With that system never again to be opened, the cable used by Endeavour to control it, which runs along Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA 2), will be disconnected on this spacewalk as a "get-ahead task" for future assembly missions when PMA 2, currently the adapter to which Endeavour is docked, will be moved. Ross and Newman also will spend some time bundling umbilicals on the exterior of Zarya and ensuring that the markings used by the Space Vision System robotic arm alignment aid are not obstructed by any cables. After the spacewalk is complete, Currie will use Endeavour's robot arm to survey the payload bay and videotape all of the Space Vision System targets on Unity and Zarya. Systems on board Endeavour and the International Space Station continue to operate smoothly. On Thursday, December 10, 1998, 2:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #15 reports: Endeavour's astronauts installed antennas for an International Space Station communications system and helped free a jammed antenna on the station's Russian module, achieving all the objectives planned for the seven-hour space walk. Jerry Ross and Jim Newman began the second of three planned space walks for the STS-88 mission at 2:33 p.m. Central time Wednesday, and immediately set out to install two boxy antennas on the side of the Unity module that will enable U.S. flight controllers to monitor that component's systems and provide basic videoconferencing for the first permanent occupants of the station in January 2000. The so-called "early" S-band communications system will be completed later today when the astronauts install hardware inside Unity. The system will provide more capability to retrieve data and telemetry from Unity, which otherwise would be available only as the new International Space Station passed over Russian ground stations. Ross and Newman pressed ahead with the removal of launch restraint pins on the four hatchways on the body of Unity to which additional station modules and truss structures will be mated on future assembly missions. The two space walkers also installed a sunshade over Unity's two data relay boxes to ensure that they will be protected against harsh sunlight as the station circles the Earth. Near the end of the space walk, Newman was hoisted to the Zarya control module on the end of Endeavour's robot arm so that he could use a grappling hook to free a backup rendezvous system antenna. After nudging the antenna with the grappling device, the pole popped out to its fully extended position as the shuttle passed over the northeast coast of Australia. The astronauts will attempt to free a duplicate antenna that is jammed on the other side of Zarya during their final space walk Saturday. Ross and Newman returned to Endeavour's external airlock and began to repressurize it at 9:35 p.m., completing a 7 hour, 2 minute excursion. So far, they have worked outside Endeavour a total of 14 hours and 23 minutes. This was the third space walk for Newman and the sixth for Ross, who now has spent 37 hours, 10 minutes in the void of space -- a U.S. record. Later today, the astronauts will enter the International Space Station for the first time as they open hatches to Unity and Zarya. If all goes as planned, the astronauts will climb aboard Unity around 1:15 p.m. Central time to complete installation of the S-band communication system in the U.S. component, and float into Zarya about an hour and a half later to unstow hardware that will be used by visiting astronauts on future assembly missions. After arriving in Zarya, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev will install a new battery charging unit in the Russian module. One of Zarya's six batteries has experienced a problem discharging stored energy in its automatic configuration. Krikalev has swapped out an identical component during two previous flights on the Russian Space Station Mir. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 2:36 a.m. Central time and be awakened at 10:36 a.m. to begin their eighth day of work in orbit. Endeavour and the International Space Station are flying at an altitude of 248 statute miles with all of their systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Thursday, December 10, 1998, 12:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #16 reports: Endeavour's six astronauts awoke at 10:41 a.m. CST today and are preparing for a historic day - entry into the International Space Station for the first time. The crew was awakened to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," played for Mission Specialist-2, Nancy Currie at the request of her husband, David. After opening the hatch between Unity and the Pressurized Mating Adapter that connects it to Endeavour, the astronauts will climb aboard Unity about 1:15 p.m. CST. Once inside, Commander Bob Cabana and Mission Specialists Jerry Ross and Jim Newman will install portable fans and lights. They also will complete installation of the S-band communication system in the U.S. component. Pilot Rick Sturckow will remove some access panels inside Unity and unstow hardware that will be used by visiting astronauts on future assembly missions. Less than 90 minutes after entering Unity, the astronauts will float into the Zarya module, where Mission Specialist Sergei Krikalev and Currie will install a new battery charging unit. One of Zarya's six batteries has experienced a problem discharging stored energy in its automatic configuration. Krikalev has swapped out an identical component during two previous flights on the Russian space station Mir. Sturckow and Currie also will remove launch restraint bolts from some of the panels inside Zarya. These bolts were installed before launch to ensure that none of the panels popped open during launch. Astronauts will remove some of these bolts today as a "get-ahead" task to expedite access to the panels during future space station assembly missions. Cabana, Ross and Newman will check out the early communications system's videoconferencing capability. Ross, Newman and Krikalev then will begin transferring equipment and supplies from Endeavour for use by future inhabitants of the space station, including the first crew to begin a permanent human presence on the space station in January 2000. During the entry into the International Space Station today, the crew will open a total of six hatches in the following order: the hatch on Endeavour's docking system; the hatch to Unity's mating adapter (designated PMA-2); the hatch to Unity; the hatch from Unity to the upper mating adapter (designated PMA-1); the hatch to Zarya's spherical pressurized adapter (PA); and finally, a hatch between the spherical pressurized adapter on Zarya and the main Zarya instrument module, Zarya's main compartment. Prior to beginning the sequence of hatch openings, the crew will bring the air pressure inside Endeavour to 14.7 pounds per square inch, the same pressure as at sea level on Earth. Then, the crew will go through a procedure to equalize the air pressure on both sides of each hatch prior to opening them. About 8:45 p.m. Central time this evening, the entire crew will gather inside the station for an interview with KNX Radio in Los Angeles and KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN, Cabana's home town. Endeavour and the International Space Station remain in excellent shape. On Friday, December 11, 1998, 2:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #17 reports: Endeavour's astronauts opened the new International Space Station for business Thursday, entering the Unity and Zarya modules for the first time and establishing an S-band communications system that will enable U.S. flight controllers to monitor the outpost's systems. Reflecting the international cooperation involved in building the largest space complex in history, Commander Bob Cabana and Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev opened the hatch to the U.S.-built Unity connecting module at 1:54 p.m. Central time Thursday and floated into the new station together. The rest of the crew followed and began turning on lights and unstowing gear in the roomy hub to which other modules will be connected in the future. Each passageway within Unity was marked by a sign leading the way into tunnels to which new modules will be connected. About an hour later, at 3:12 p.m., Cabana and Krikalev opened the hatch to the Russian-built Zarya control module, which will be the nerve center for the station in its embryonic stage. Joined by Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Jerry Ross, Jim Newman and Nancy Currie, Cabana and Krikalev hailed the historic entrance into the International Space Station and said the hatch opening signified the start of a new era in space exploration. Ross and Newman went right to work in Unity, completing the assembly of an early S-band communications system that will allow flight controllers in Houston to send commands to Unity's systems and to keep tabs on the health of the station with a more extensive communications capability than exists through Russian ground stations. The astronauts also conducted a successful test of the videoconferencing capability of the early communications system, which will be used by the first crew to permanently occupy the station in January 2000. Newman downlinked greetings to controllers in the station flight control room in Houston and to astronaut Bill Shepherd, who will command the first crew and live aboard the station with Krikalev and Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko. Krikalev and Currie replaced a faulty unit in Zarya which controlled the discharging of stored energy from one of the module's six batteries. The battery had not been working properly in its automatic configuration, but the new unit was functioning normally shortly after it was installed. The astronauts also unstowed hardware and logistical supplies stored behind panels in Zarya, relocating the items for use by the shuttle crew that will visit the station in May and Shepherd's expedition crew. Late this afternoon, the astronauts will complete their initial outfitting of the station. The hatches to Zarya and Unity will be closed before Endeavour undocks from the new station Sunday, leaving the new complex to orbit the Earth unpiloted. The astronauts begin an eight-hour sleep period at 2:36 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 10:36 a.m. to begin their ninth of day in orbit. Endeavour and the International Space Station are circling the globe every 90 minutes at an altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems operating in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 9 Highlights: On Friday, December 11, 1998, 2:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #18 reports: Endeavour's crew was awakened at 10:36 a.m. CST today to continue their work of preparing the International Space Station for future crews. "Trepak," a Russian dance from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet, was played as the wake-up music in honor of cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Sergei Krikalev. Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialist Nancy Currie will continue their work removing access panels inside Unity and unstowing hardware that will be used by visiting astronauts on future assembly missions. Commander Bob Cabana, Sturckow and Currie will work inside Unity to locate part of a missing mid-bay rack pivot fitting, which was lost yesterday. Following removal of launch restraint bolts, the lock ring fell behind the panel during attempts to install it on the rack. The pivot fitting will allow the entire equipment rack to be tilted forward. After turning off the lights and ventilation system, Endeavour's crew will close the hatch and leave Zarya for the final time just before 4 p.m. Central time. Prior to closing the hatch, Endeavour's life support systems will be used to increase the station and Shuttle atmospheric pressure to 15 pounds per square inch, a little above sea level pressure on Earth. Then, as each hatch is closed in the station, the crew will lower the pressure slightly to keep positive air pressure on the inside of each hatch to assist in sealing the hatches. Dessicant bags will be installed in Unity's portable, battery-operated fans to remove humidity from the module and the portable fans will be left running. The crew's final exit from Unity is set for just after 5:30 p.m. today. After they have completed exiting the station, Cabana and Sturckow will lower the pressure inside Endeavour from 14.7 pounds per square inch to 10.2 pounds per square inch in anticipation of tomorrow's spacewalk. The lower air pressure will reduce the amount of time Newman and Ross must spend breathing pure oxygen before beginning their spacewalk on Saturday and going to the lower pressure of their spacesuits, 4.3 pounds per square inch of pure oxygen. The oxygen pre-breathe protocol removes nitrogen from the bloodstream to prevent a potentially dangerous malady commonly referred to as the "bends," caused when nitrogen bubbles form in the bloodstream. Newman and Ross also will pre-breathe pure oxygen from masks for about an hour today during the depressurization of Endeavour as part of the protocol. Later, Newman will complete a performance evaluation of the Orbiter Space Vision System targets, part of an alignment aid for operations with the Shuttle's mechanical arm. Endeavour's crew will be interviewed by CNN and CBS News at 7:36 p.m. Central time. Preparations will get under way late this evening for tomorrow's third and final spacewalk by Newman and Ross. With Sturckow's assistance, they will prepare the tools they will use, then check out the Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity Rescue (SAFER) backpacks, which are a type of space "life jacket" that provides the capability for spacewalking astronauts to fly back to the station should they become untethered. During tomorrow's spacewalk, Ross will check out a new valve on the unit, firing the backpack's jets while remaining tethered to Endeavour. Endeavour and the International Space Station remain in excellent shape. On Friday, December 11, 1998, 11:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #19 reports: Endeavour's astronauts wrapped up the first visit inside the International Space Station and prepared it for undocking, closing the hatches for the final time to the new complex before it is left unpiloted Sunday. After spending the day unstowing final items and installing air ducts for the Russian-built Zarya control module and the U.S.-built Unity module, Commander Bob Cabana and Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev closed the hatch to Zarya at 4:41 p.m. Central time. They closed a series of additional hatches as the crew made its way back to Endeavour, finally swinging the door to Unity shut at 6:26 p.m. This ended the first excursion by astronauts into the international outpost, an excursion that lasted 28 hours and 32 minutes. Left behind were tools, supplies and clothing for the crew that will visit the station during the next shuttle assembly flight in May, and for the first crew members who will establish a permanent occupancy of the station in January 2000. Back inside Endeavour, the astronauts completed preparations for a third and final space walk Saturday by Jerry Ross and Jim Newman to tidy up cable configurations. Ross and Newman plan to disconnect several jumper cables used to route power from Zarya to Unity before permanent electrical connections were made and disconnect cables used to permanently lock the two modules' docking mechanisms together. In addition, tool bags will be stowed on the side of Unity's uppermost Pressurized Mating Adapter for use by space walkers Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry on the STS-96 assembly mission in May. Near the end of Saturday's space walk, Ross plans to use a grappling hook to try to free the second of two jammed antennas that are part of Zarya's backup rendezvous system. Just as Newman did on Wednesday, Ross will use the device to pry the balky antenna free to its fully extended position while attached to the end of Endeavour's robot arm. The space walk is scheduled to begin about 3:06 p.m. Central time Saturday, but could get under way earlier if Ross and Newman are ahead of schedule in their space walk preparations. With all of their work complete, Endeavour's crew members will undock from the newly outfitted station at 2:25 p.m .Sunday, leaving the 35-ton complex to fly on its own for the next five months. Through an S-band communications system installed in Unity by the astronauts, station flight controllers will be able to monitor the health of Unity and Zarya as the complex orbits the Earth. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 2:36 a.m. Central time Saturday and will be awakened at 10:36 a.m. to begin space walk preparations. Endeavour and the International Space Station are orbiting the Earth at and altitude of 246 statute miles with all of their systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 10 Highlights: On Saturday, December 12, 1998, 1:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #20 reports: Endeavour's astronauts awoke at 10:36 a.m. CST today, to the sounds of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog," and began preparing for the third and final scheduled space walk of the mission. This afternoon's spacewalk, set to begin about 3:06 p.m. CST, could get under way earlier if Mission Specialists Jerry Ross and Jim Newman are ahead of schedule in their space walk preparations. Today's activities will be devoted mostly to tasks that ready the station for future assembly work. The crew's first job will be to release some cable ties on four cables connected on an earlier space walk, three located on Unity's upper mating adapter and one on its lower adapter, to relieve tension on the lines. Flight controllers noted the cable tension from camera views of the station, and they are concerned that leaving the cables as they are would not allow enough play in them to accommodate cyclical heating and cooling that occurs between orbital night and day. The space walkers also will check an insulation cover on one cable connection on the lower Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA 2) to make sure it is fully installed. Ross and Newman then will attach a bag of tools - wrenches, powergrip tools, ratchets and foot restraints - on the side of Unity's upper mating adapter (PMA 1). Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry will use these tools during their space walk next May during the STS-96 assembly mission. Ross and Newman also will inspect bubbling paint that has been noted on some of the Orbiter Space Vision System targets on Unity. Next, the space walkers will disconnect cables that the crew used to operate the docking mechanism on Unity's s upper mating adapter when Zarya was docked earlier in the mission. Also, Ross will use a 10-foot-long grappling hook to try to free the second of two jammed antennas that are part of Zarya's backup rendezvous navigation system. The first antenna was successfully deployed on a space walk Wednesday by Newman using the same method. After the antenna deploy, Ross will stow the grappling hook on the outside of Zarya, and he and Newman will install a handrail at the far end of the module. Near the end of the space walk, after packing up their tools , the astronauts will do a detailed photographic survey of the space station from top to bottom. Finally, each astronaut will test fire the Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity Rescue (SAFER) jet backpacks they are wearing, a type of space "lifejacket," that would allow an astronaut to fly back to the station if they should ever become untethered. During an earlier flight test on STS-86, a valve failed and prevented the propulsion jets on the backpack from firing. The valve was redesigned and extensively tested on the ground and today in-flight test will assist in verifying the new designsted on the ground and today's in-flight test will assist in verifying the new design. With the first steps in the orbital construction of the International Space Station completed, Endeavour is planned to undock from the new outpost at 2:25 p.m. CST on Sunday, leaving the 7-story, 35-ton complex to fly on its own for the next five months. Station flight controllers will be able to monitor the health of the station through an S-band communications system installed in Unity by the astronauts. Endeavour and the International Space Station are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 246 statute miles with all systems operating normally. On Sunday, December 13, 1998, 3:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #21 reports: Endeavour's astronauts completed the first assembly work of the International Space Station on Saturday, securing tools, tethers and cables to the new outpost and freeing a second jammed antenna on Zarya during a 6-hour, 59-minute space walk. The third and final space walk of the flight by astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman began at 2:33 p.m. Central time Saturday. Working close to the timeline, Ross and Newman accomplished all of the tasks planned for the excursion. The astronauts stowed a tool bag on the U.S.-built Unity connecting module and disconnected umbilicals used to drive the docking mechanisms that mated it with the Russian-built Zarya control module last week. They also installed a handrail on Zarya for use by future space walkers, and a made a detailed photographic survey of the station for review by engineers over the next several months. Standing at the end of the shuttle's robot arm, Ross duplicated the accomplishment of Newman last Wednesday, freeing a jammed backup rendezvous system antenna on Zarya with a grappling hook. Ross found the antenna to be a bit stubborn, but after tapping it and nudging it several times, the antenna finally rolled out from its spool to the fully deployed position. Before returning to Endeavour's airlock, Ross and Newman also tested out jet-powered backpacks they wore for use in the unlikely event they could become untethered during station assembly work. The jet packs seemed to use a bit more nitrogen gas than had been planned, but flight controllers said the engineering objectives of the brief test were met. In all, Ross and Newman spent 21 hours and 22 minutes outside Endeavour in the initial assembly of the station. Ross now has completed seven space walks totaling 44 hours and 9 minutes, more than any other American space walker. Newman moved into third place on the all-time U.S. space-walking list, with a total of 28 hours and 27 minutes on four excursions. After the space walk ended, Pilot Rick Sturckow depressurized the vestibule between Endeavour's docking system and the docking adapter at the base of Unity, setting the stage for today's undocking from the International Space Station at 2:25 p.m. Central time. Sturckow will be at the controls of Endeavour during undocking, backing the shuttle away to a distance of 450 feet above the station before beginning a nose-forward fly-around. One and a half revolutions of the station are expected to provide ample time for the astronauts to conduct a detailed photographic survey of the outpost. Sturckow will fire Endeavour's jets at 3:52 p.m. to separate from the station, leaving it to fly unpiloted for the next five months. The next visit to the station will be by the STS-96 crew in May on an assembly and resupply mission. Endeavour's astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 2:36 a.m. and will awaken at 10:36 a.m. Central time to begin preparations for undocking. Endeavour and the station are orbiting at an altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 11 Highlights: On Sunday, December 13, 1998, 1:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #22 reports: For the first time ever, the new International Space Station Flight Control Room in Houston issued a wake-up call to orbiting astronauts. At 10:36 a.m. CST, space station communicator Astronaut Mike Fincke awoke Endeavour's crew with the song" Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" as they prepare to say "goodnight" to the space station. Having begun its on-orbit assembly, Endeavour's astronauts are now preparing for their departure from the International Space Station this afternoon. At 2:25 p.m. CST, Pilot Rick Sturckow will undock Endeavour from the station and back the shuttle away to a distance of 450 feet above the station before beginning a nose-forward fly-around just before 2:45 p.m. CST. During Endeavour's jets to separate from the station, leaving it to fly unpiloted for the next five months. The next visit to the station will be by the STS-96 crew in May on an assembly and resupply mission. Once Endeavour departs the area of the station, the crew will have a few hours of scheduled off-duty time. At about 8:15 p.m. CST, Commander Bob Cabana and Sturckow will fire one of Endeavour's large Orbital Maneuvering System engines for about 10 seconds as part of the SIMPLEX experiment, a Department of Defense study tracking Shuttle engine firings from various radar sites, this one from a site located in Peru. At about 8:30 p.m. CST, the entire crew will gather for interviews by ABC Radio, Associated Press Radio and the Associated Press. Cabana, Sturckow and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross will deploy the SAC-A satellite from Endeavour's payload bay around 10:30 p.m. CST. SAC-A is a small, self-contained, non-recoverable satellite built by the Argentinean National Commission of Space Activities. The cube-shaped, 590-pound satellite will test and characterize the performance of new equipment and technologies that may be used in future scientific or operational missions. The payload includes a differential global positioning system, a magnetometer, silicon solar cells, a charge-coupled device Earth camera and a whale tracker experiment. Near the end of the crew's day, Ross, Newman and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev will stow some of the tools used during yesterday's space walk, as Mission Specialist Nancy Currie increases Endeavour's cabin pressure to 14.7 pounds per square inch. All systems on board Endeavour and the space station remain in excellent shape as they orbit at an altitude of 247 statute miles. On Sunday, December 13, 1998, 11:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #23 reports: Endeavour's astronauts bid farewell to the International Space Station this afternoon, undocking from the new complex which will fly unpiloted for the next five months until the next shuttle assembly flight in May 1999. Pilot Rick Sturckow separated Endeavour from the station at 2:25 p.m. Central time, firing the shuttle's jets to place the orbiter 450 feet above the outpost. Sturckow then initiated a nose-forward flyaround of the station as shuttle TV cameras captured spectacular views of the two station modules framed against the blue backdrop of the Earth. Less than an hour and a half after undocking, at 3:49 p.m., Sturckow fired Endeavour's jets one final time as the orbiter passed 450 feet below the complex, separating for the final time as the station faded from view along the horizon. More than six hours after undocking, Endeavour trailed ISS by some 70 s.m., increasing its distance from the station at about 19 s.m. every orbit. International Space Station flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston and at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow, will now spend the next five months monitoring the station's systems and awaiting the launch of Discovery on the STS-96 mission. STS-96 will see a multinational crew of seven astronauts return to the station in a logistics resupply flight which will include at least one spacewalk to attach additional hardware to the new orbiting facility. Late Sunday, flight controllers commanded the station into a new orientation to point the Zarya Control Module toward deep space and the Unity Module toward the Earth. Commands were then sent to place the station into a slow spin of about one revolution every 30 minutes to keep the station within proper thermal conditions as it orbits the Earth. Zarya's motion control system will be reactivated about once a week over the next few months to insure it is working properly and its guidance system will be updated with the latest orbital parameters. Before beginning their presleep period, the astronauts deployed a small 590-pound satellite called SAC-A for the Argentinean National Committee of Space Activities. Equipped with five technology experiments, including one to track the movement of whales off the coast of Argentina, SAC-A was ejected from a canister in Endeavour's cargo bay at 10:31 p.m. Central time as the shuttle few over the northern Indian Ocean. The satellite is expected to remain in orbit from five to nine months sending back data to Argentine researchers back on Earth. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 3:36 a.m. Central time Monday and will be awakened at 11:36 a.m. to begin preparations for their scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday night. On Monday, the astronauts will conduct the routine pre-landing check of Endeavour's flight control surfaces and steering jets to insure that the shuttle is ready for its high-speed reentry back to Earth. Endeavour and the International Space Station are currently orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 246 statute miles with all of their systems operating normally. STS-88 Flight Day 12 Highlights: On Monday, December 14, 1998, 1:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #24 reports: Endeavour's crew awoke to the sounds of James Brown's 'I Got You (I Feel Good)," today, in honor of the good feelings evoked by this successful first International Space Station Assembly mission. That wake-up call from Mission Control at 11:36 a.m. today, marks the start of the final full-day of operations for the six-member crew of STS-88. At the time of crew wake-up, Endeavour was about 222 statute miles ahead of the space station and pulling away from the station by about 12 statute miles per orbit. The SAC-A satellite, deployed by Commander Bob Cabana last night, trails Endeavour by about 35 statute miles. Crew members will focus their activities today on preparing for their scheduled return to the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday night. Cabana and Pilot Rick Sturckow will spend a good part of the day checking out spacecraft systems for entry and landing. At about 2:30 p.m. CST, the commander and pilot will begin checkout of the flight control systems and the performance of aerodynamic surfaces and flight controls. About an hour later, the flight crew will conduct a hot fire test of Endeavour's reaction control system jets. Shortly before 5 p.m. CST, the crew will gather for its traditional in-flight crew news conference talking with reporters at NASA centers and at Canadian Space Agency Headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec. After about 3 hours of off-duty time, Cabana, Sturckow and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross will eject another small satellite from a canister in Endeavour's payload bay. MightySat is a 705-pound U.S. Air Force/Phillips Laboratory satellite that will demonstrate several advanced technologies, including a composite structure, advanced solar cells, a microparticle impact detector, advanced electronics and a shock device. Deployment is set for 8:09 p.m. CST. The crew will wrap up the day's activities as they begin configuring Endeavour's cabin and stowing equipment in preparation for tomorrow's planned landing. Just before12:30 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Sturckow will stow the Ku-band antenna, which provides high data-rate relay and television. The flight control teams in the Mission Control Center also are preparing for Tuesday's landing in Florida. Preliminary weather forecasts indicate possible scattered clouds and rain showers in the vicinity of the landing site for Tuesday's scheduled 9:54 p.m. CST landing. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems on the space shuttle and space station operating normally. On Tuesday, December 15, 1998, 2:00 a.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #25 reports: Endeavour's astronauts wrapped up their mission objectives and packed up their ship, ready for a landing late tonight at Kennedy Space Center and the end of the first mission to assemble the International Space Station. With Endeavour more than 340 miles in front of the new station, the astronauts tested the shuttle's aerosurfaces and steering jets to ensure the ship's controllability during reentry to the Earth's atmosphere. All of Endeavour's systems were declared in good working order, enabling the astronauts to stow equipment used during the flight in preparation for their high-speed homecoming. International Space Station flight controllers report that all systems on the new complex are functioning normally as the station orbits the Earth at an altitude of 246 statute miles, the Unity module facing the Earth and the Zarya module facing deep space. The station was commanded to spin slowly at one revolution every 30 minutes to maintain the proper heating and cooling while it flies unpiloted for the next five months. The next shuttle assembly mission to the station is STS-96, scheduled for launch aboard Discovery in May. Late last night, at 8:09 p.m. Central time, the astronauts completed the final task of the flight, deploying a 700-pound Air Force technology satellite called MightySat as Endeavour sailed over Indonesia. MightySat will send back data on the effect of the space environment on composite materials and advanced solar power cells. The six astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 3:36 a.m. and be awakened at 11:36 a.m. to begin final landing preparations. If all goes as planned, Endeavour's cargo bay doors will swing shut at 6:07 p.m., after which the astronauts will climb into their launch and entry suits and strap into their seats. Commander Bob Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Flight Engineer Nancy Currie will be joined on the flight deck for entry by Mission Specialist Jim Newman, while crew mates Jerry Ross and Sergei Krikalev will be seated down on the middeck. Scattered to broken clouds and no rain showers are predicted for Kennedy Space Center at landing time. If the forecast holds, Entry Flight Director John Shannon will give the green light to fire Endeavour's twin braking rockets at 8:47 p.m. Central time. The deorbit burn will slow the shuttle by 349 feet per second, allowing it to descend back to Earth. Landing is scheduled at 9:54 p.m. Central time on runway 3-3 at the Shuttle Landing Facility to complete a 4.6-million-mile mission, the 10th night landing in shuttle program history. A backup landing opportunity is available at KSC 90 minutes later, at 11:30 p.m. Central time (12:30 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday). Mission managers decided not to call up landing support at the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for this evening's opportunities. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 246 statute miles, with all of its systems in excellent shape. STS-88 Flight Day 13 Highlights: On Tuesday, December 15, 1998, 12:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #26 reports: Endeavour's astronauts awoke to the sounds of Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" today, and are now preparing for a return trip to Earth. The wake-up call came at 11:36 a.m. CST, and was chosen by the flight control team to energize the six crew members in anticipation of tonight's landing in Florida, marking the 10th nighttime Shuttle landing in the program's history. If weather cooperates, Endeavour will touch down at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:54 p.m. CST after completing 185 orbits of the Earth. A deorbit firing of the Shuttle's maneuvering engines will occur at 8:47 p.m. CST to slow the spacecraft's forward velocity, allowing it to drop back into the Earth's atmosphere. Returning as an unpowered, hypersonic glider, Endeavour will follow a ground track that takes it over the Mexico-Guatemala border and across the Gulf of Mexico, making U.S. landfall over the Ft. Meyers/Sarasota, Florida, area before heading in for a landing at runway 33. If all goes as planned, Endeavour's cargo bay doors will swing shut at 6:07 p.m., after which the astronauts will climb into their launch and entry suits and strap into their seats. Commander Bob Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Flight Engineer Nancy Currie will be joined on the flight deck for entry by Mission Specialist Jim Newman, while crew mates Jerry Ross and Sergei Krikalev will be seated down on the middeck. Forecasters are keeping a close watch on weather in the vicinity of the landing site, with current predictions calling for scattered clouds at 3,000 feet with a chance of showers within 30 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Forecasters predict about a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather for the first of tonight's two landing opportunities. If the forecast holds, Entry Flight Director John Shannon will give the green light to fire Endeavour's two orbital maneuvering system engines at 8:47 p.m. CST. The deorbit burn will slow the shuttle by 349 feet per second, allowing it to descend back to Earth. Landing is scheduled at 9:54 p.m. CST, completing a 4.6-million-mile mission. Weather conditions are expected to be somewhat better for tonight's second landing opportunity at KSC, with forecasters indicating an 80 percent chance of favorable weather. For the second opportunity, a deorbit burn at 10:24 p.m. CST would see Endeavour land at 11:30 p.m. CST. Mission managers have decided not to call up landing support at the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for this evening's opportunities. However, Edwards will be called up for backup landing support on Wednesday should landing at KSC tonight be waved off. The crew will remain at KSC on Wednesday, returning to Houston's Ellington Field about 2 p.m. Thursday. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 246 statute miles with all of its systems in excellent shape. On Tuesday, December 15, 1998, 11:00 p.m. CST, STS-88 MCC Status Report #27 reports: NASA's final Shuttle mission of 1998 came to an end this evening with the landing of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center. Following a 4.6 million mile journey, STS-88 Commander Bob Cabana guided the orbiter down onto runway 15 with landing gear touchdown occurring at 9:54 p.m. CST. While weather forecasts in the final days of the mission had indicated that rain showers might delay the astronauts return, the weather cleared, allowing Entry Flight Director John Shannon to give a "go" for the deorbit burn which occurred at 8:46 p.m. CST. Tonight's landing at KSC marked the 10th night landing in the history of the Shuttle program. It was also the 17th straight landing at Kennedy Space Center and the 24th in the last 25 Shuttle missions to land at the Florida spaceport. While Endeavour is back on firm ground, 246 miles above, the new International Space Station continues to orbit with all systems functioning normally. The current orientation of the ISS has the Unity module facing the Earth and the Zarya module facing deep space. The station is also in a slow rotation at one revolution every 30 minutes to maintain the proper heating and cooling. The next shuttle assembly mission to the station is STS-96, scheduled for launch aboard Discovery in May. Cabana and his crewmates, Pilot Rick Sturckow, Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, Jim Newman, Jerry Ross and Sergei Krikalev will remain in Florida until Thursday morning when they are scheduled to return to Houston. The STS-88 crew are scheduled to land at Ellington Field, near the Johnson Space Center at approximately 10:30 a.m. CST where they will be welcomed home with a crew return ceremony. Mission Name: STS-96 (94) Discovery (26) Pad 39-B (43) 94th Shuttle Mission 26th Flight OV-103 Rollback (13) KSC Landing (47) Night Landing (11) KSC Night Landing (6) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Kent V. Rominger (4), Commander Rick D. Husband (1), Pilot Ellen Ochoa (3), Mission Specialist Tamara E. Jernigan (5), Mission Specialist Daniel T. Barry (2), Mission Specialist Julie Payette (1), (Canada) Mission Specialist Valery Ivanovich Tokarev (1), (Russia) Mission Specialist Milestones: Flow A: OPF -- 11/07/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/09/1998) VAB -- 04/12/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/12/1999) PAD -- 04/23/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/23/1999) Flow B: (Rollback due to hail damage 5/8/99) VAB -- 05/16/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/13/1999) PAD -- 05/20/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/20/1999) Payload: Space Station Assembly Flight ISS-02-2A.1 (S/HAB-DM), ICC(STRELA,SHOSS,OTD), STARSHINE, SVF, IVHM Mission Objectives: STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station. It will be the first flight to dock to the International Space Station. The SPACEHAB double module will carry internal and resupply cargo for station outfitting. The Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) will carry the Russian cargo crane, known as STRELA, which will be mounted to the exterior of the Russian station segment, the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS) and a U.S. built crane called the ORU Transfer Device (OTD). Other payloads on STS-96 are the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Equipment (STARSHINE), the Shuttle Vibration Forces Experiment (SVF) and the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring - HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD). The STARSHINE satellite consists of an inert, 19-inch hollow sphere covered by 1,000 evenly-distributed, flat, polished mirrors, each 1 inch in diameter. The payload consists of the STARSHINE satellite, integrated with the Pallet Ejection System (PES), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. The HH equipment consists of one HH Lightweight Avionics Plate (LAP), then mounted inside a lidless carrier. Additional HH equipment consists of one Hitchhiker Ejection System Electronics (HESE), one 5.0 cubic-foot HH canister, and one Adapter Beam Assembly (ABA). The purpose of the mission is to train international student volunteer observers to visually track this optically reflective spacecraft during morning and evening twilight intervals for several months, calculate its orbit from shared observations, and derive atmospheric density from drag-induced changes in its orbit over time. The Shuttle Vibration Forces (SVF) Experiment will provide flight measurements of the vibratory forces acting between an aerospace payload and its mounting structure. The force transducers will be incorporated into four custom brackets which will replace the existing brackets used to attach the 5 ft standard canister to the side wall GAS adapter beam. The payload will be activated automatically by the Orbiter Lift-off vibration and will operate for approximately 100 seconds. STS-96 will be the second flight of the SVF experiment The purpose of the Orbiter Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring- HEDS Technology Demonstration (IVHM HTD) is to demonstrate competing modern, off-the-shelf sensing technologies in an operational environment to make informed design decisions for the eventual Orbiter upgrade IVHM. The objective of IVHM is to reduce planned ground processing, streamline problem troubleshooting (unplanned ground processing), enhance visibility into systems operation and improve overall vehicle safety. Launch: Launched May 27, 1999 6:49a.m. EDT. Window was 5-10 min. On Thursday, May 27, 1999, at 1:49 a.m., the flight crew ate breakfast in the dining room of the astronauts quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) and received a weather briefing at 2:19 a.m. EDT. The crew then suited up and departed for Launch Pad 39-B at 3:05 a.m. EDT. At 3:30 a.m. EDT the crew entered the white room and began boarding the Discovery. At 4:14 a.m. EDT boarding was complete and by 5:36 a.m. EDT the hatch was closed and locked for flight. At 6:15 a.m. EDT, with countdown clock at the hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark, the only concern being tracked was a sailboat in the SRB recovery area. It has been contacted and will be out of the area shortly. At 6:33 a.m. EDT, after a final poll of the launch team, the mission management team gave a clear to launch. The countdown clock came out of the T-minus 9 minute mark at 6:41 a.m. EDT. At 6:43 a.m. the Orbiter Access Arm (OAA) was retracted. Liftoff at 6:49 a.m. EDT. Good SRB separation at 6:52 a.m EDT. On Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Preparations for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Thursday continue as scheduled. The Rotating Service Structure was retracted away from the vehicle and placed in launch configuration early this afternoon. Earlier today, the orbiter's inertial measurement units were activated and the flight crew's equipment was stowed in the orbiter. The crew began final preparations for launch when they awoke at 6:30 p.m. They are scheduled to begin donning their launch and entry suits at 2:19 a.m. tomorrow and depart for the launch pad at about 3 a.m. At 9:30p.m. EDT, the mission management team gave the go to begin loading of the 528,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants into the Shuttle's external tank. The 3 hour loading operations began at 9:54 p.m. EDT as the launch team came out of the planned 2 hour hold at the T-minus 6 hour mark. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/26/1999) On Monday, May 24, 1999, the launch countdown for STS-96 began on schedule at 9 a.m. EDT at the T-43 hour mark. Over the weekend, workers completed ordnance connections and pressurization of Discovery's maneuvering system and reaction control system. Yesterday morning, aft compartment close-outs concluded and aft confidence checks are in work today. Mating of the orbiter midbody umbilical unit is also complete. This morning, pyrotechnic initiator controller testing began. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/24/1999) On Sunday, May 26, 1999, at about 11 p.m. EDT the STS-96 flight crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. In the three days prior to launch they will undergo routine medical exams and participate in standard orbiter and payload familiarization activities. The commander and pilot will also take practice flights in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 jets this week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/24/1999) On Wednesday, May 20, 1999 , shuttle managers today confirmed May 27 as the launch date for Shuttle mission STS-96. Based on an updated weather forecast and prompt repairs of Discovery's hail-damaged external tank foam insulation, managers decided to transfer Space Shuttle Discovery back to Launch Pad 39B Thursday morning. Shuttle close-out work will commence once Discovery arrives at the pad and will conclude in time for May 27 launch. The launch countdown begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 24. Discovery's external tank repairs were completed today and tonight workers will remove access platforms and scaffolding in preparation for Thursday's move to the pad. If weather continues to cooperate, Discovery will begin moving out of VAB high bay 1 about 2 a.m. tomorrow and will be hard down at Pad 39B by midday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/19/1999) On Monday, May 17, 1999, technicians completed evaluations on Discovery's hail-damaged external tank foam insulation and began repair efforts. Having much closer access than what is available at the launch pad, inspections in the VAB revealed a total of 648 divots in the tank's outer foam. Managers consider 189 of the divots acceptable to fly without repair. Blending or sanding work is required for 211 hits and 248 divots will be patched with new foam. The current schedule indicates that foam repair efforts will be complete tomorrow. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/18/1999) On Thursday, May 13, 1999, NASA Shuttle managers decided to move the launch date from May 20, 1999 at 9:32a.m. EDT to May 27, 1999 no earlier than 6:48a.m EDT. The decision was made to roll Space Shuttle Discovery back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to complete repair work on the hail-damaged external tank foam insulation. After much evaluation, managers determined that necessary repair work could not be performed at Launch Pad 39B due to limited access to damaged areas. Managers expect Discovery's move toward the VAB to begin early Sunday morning, May 16. Current work plans indicate that the foam repairs will take 2 to 3 days, allowing Discovery to roll back to Pad 39B by midweek. Managers expect the Shuttle to be ready for launch no earlier than May 27. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/13/1999) On Monday, May 10, 1999, APU pressurization is under way. Orbiter crew compartment purge testing concluded over the weekend. At the pad, the Rotating Service Structure was placed around the Shuttle on Friday and the payload bay doors are open. SPACEHAB interface verification testing concludes today and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight tomorrow afternoon. Equipped with new instrumentation, the drag chute door has been installed and will undergo tests this week. Mating of the orbiter midbody umbilical unit and subsequent leak checks are in work. Technicians are also inspecting the orbiter and external tank for possible hail damage from a weekend storm at KSC. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/10/1999) On Friday, May 7, 1999, workers completed a hot-fire test on Discovery's auxiliary power unit No. 2 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/10/1999) On Thursday, May 6, 1999, the SPACEHAB tunnel has been mated to Discovery inside the payload bay and leak checks are complete. The orbiter's prelaunch propellant loading began yesterday and will continue through Saturday. Tomorrow, auxiliary power unit No. 2 will be hot-fired as part of planned launch preparations. This coming weekend, workers will complete SPACEHAB payload testing and drag chute door installation. During yesterday's Flight Readiness Review, Shuttle managers confirmed plans to use a functional drag chute and strengthened drag chute door assembly on the upcoming flight. Inconel hinge-pins will replace the aluminum pins that failed during the STS-95 flight, allowing the drag chute door to fall off during liftoff. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/6/1999) On Tuesday, April 27, 1999 The SPACEHAB payload is at the pad and will be installed in the payload changeout room later today. The payload will be installed in the orbiter April 28, 1999. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/27/1999) On Monday, April 26, 1999, the STS-96 flight crew arrived at KSC in preparation for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The crew will conduct orbiter and payload familiarization activities over the next few days and then participate in a launch dress rehearsal on Thursday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/27/1999) On Friday, April 23, 1999, Shuttle Discovery rolled out to Launch Pad 39B. Over the weekend, workers conducted routine launch pad validations and Shuttle main engine frequency response tests. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/27/1999) On Tuesday, April 20, Standard Shuttle interface testing revealed that an electrical cable on the left solid rocket booster was not conveying necessary signals between the left aft segment and left forward segment integrated electronic assembly boxes. Troubleshooting efforts revealed that one connector on the cable needs to be replaced. Workers will replace the connector and retest it in the VAB tomorrow, accommodating a Friday morning Shuttle transfer to the launch pad. Managers expect no impact to the target launch date. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/20/1999) On Monday, April 19, Discovery has been mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3. The Shuttle was powered today to support Shuttle Interface Testing that continues through noon tomorrow. The entire Shuttle stack is scheduled to move out to Launch Pad 39B Wednesday morning. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/19/1999) On Monday, April 12, 1999, Over the weekend, workers removed "D" hatch from Discovery's transfer tunnel adapter to accommodate structural and latch inspections. Workers replaced it with orbiter Endeavour's "D" hatch. Due to the additional work, managers now plan to transfer Discovery to the VAB on Thursday, but do not expect Discovery's arrival at the launch pad to be delayed. Orbiter aft and midbody compartment close-outs continue on schedule. Today, workers will close Discovery's payload bay doors and tomorrow orbiter weight and center of gravity tests are planned. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/12/1999) On Thursday, March 18, 1999, drag chute sensor instrumentation modification is in progress. Auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks are under way and installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system for the orbiter's main propulsion system continues. Engine heat shield fastener modifications continue as well. The rest of this week, workers will perform ammonia servicing and install the orbiter's transfer tunnel. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/18/1999) On Wednesday, March 17, 1999, workers completed installation of Discovery's three main engines. Functional tests of the orbiter's global positioning system are also complete. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/18/1999) On Monday, March 1, 1999, workers performed functional checks on the orbiter's new docking mechanism. Replacement of the orbiter's water spray boiler continues. Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system for the orbiter's main propulsion system proceeds on schedule and base heat shield fastener modifications continue. Drag chute instrumentation installation continues as well. Booster stacking operations continue in VAB high bay 3. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/01/1999) On Friday, February 26, 1999, technicians completed verification tests on Discovery's remote manipulator system or robot arm. On Thursday, February 25, 1999, technicians tested Discovery's remote manipulator system (RMS) or robot arm. Replacement of the orbiter's water spray boiler was under way with removal of the old system already complete. Functional tests of the International Space Station docking system are scheduled this week. Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM) system for the orbiter's main propulsion system continues and base heat shield modifications are on schedule. Drag chute instrumentation installation continues. Tests of Discovery's power reactant storage and distribution system and auxiliary power units are ongoing. Booster stacking operations continue in VAB high bay 3. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/25/1999) On Thursday, February 11, 1999, Technicians have completed checks of Discovery's recently replaced orbital maneuvering system (OMS) thrusters. Workers have completed preparations to install the orbiter's new docking system and installation efforts are ongoing. Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system for the orbiter's main propulsion system is in progress and base heat shield modifications continue. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/11/1999) On Monday, January 11, 1999, Removal of Discovery's caution and warning box is complete. The orbiter's ammonia controller has been replaced and the forward reaction control system (FRCS) has arrived in the OPF for installation tomorrow. Last week, radiator functional tests and inspections revealed a probable micrometeroid ding on a portion of the radiator and engineering evaluation is now under way. Main propulsion system functional tests are ongoing and corrosion control modifications on the engine heat shields continue. Replacement of Discovery's window No. 1 is complete and window No. 7 replacement is in work today. Workers will evaluate window No. 5 this week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/11/1999) Orbit: Altitude: 173 nm Inclination: 51.6 Orbits: 153 Duration: 9 days, 19 hours, 13 minutes, 57 seconds. Distance: miles Hardware: SRB: BIO-98 SRM: RSRM-70 ET : SN-100 MLP : SSME-1: SN- SSME-2: SN- SSME-3: SN- Landing: June 6, 1999 KSC's SLF 2:02:43 a.m. EDT (Runway 15) A go for the deorbit burn was given at 12:36 a.m. EDT from mission control in Houston. The deorbit burn took place on time at 12:54 a.m. EDT. The burn to bring Discovery back to KSC lasted 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Main gear touchdown occured at 02:02:43 am EDT at a mission elapsed time (MET) of 9 days, 19 hours 13 min 1 second. Nose Wheel Touchdown occured at at 02:02:58 am EDT (9 days, 19 hours, 13 minutes, 16 seconds) and wheel stop at 02:03:39am EDT. (9 days, 19 hours, 13 minutes 57 seconds). Discovery had two landing opportunities at KSC on Sunday. The first opportunity required a 12:54 a.m. deorbit burn and touchdown on Runway 15 at 2:03 a.m. The second opportunity called for a deorbit burn at 2:30 a.m. and touchdown at 3:38 a.m. Edward Air Force Base will not be called to support as an alternate landing site on Sunday. Weather officials expect generally favorable weather for a Shuttle landing at KSC on Sunday. Preliminary reports call for scattered clouds at 3,000 feet and 10,000 feet and broken at 20,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; easterly winds at 6 knots peaking to 12 knots; temperature at 75 degrees F; humidity at 91 percent and the chance of showers within 30 nautical miles of the runway. Forecasters continue to monitor the development of a surface low over the Bahamas and its impact on landing day weather conditions. The landing is the 47th landing at Kennedy Space Center. and the 19th consecutive KSC landing. It is also the 11th night landing in the history of the shuttle program, and the 6th KSC night landing. Mission Highlights: STS-96 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Thursday, May 27, 1999, 8:00 a.m. EDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #01 reports: Discovery and its multi-national crew of seven astronauts blasted off this morning from the Kennedy Space Center, lighting up the early morning skies as they sped to orbit on the first shuttle mission of the year for the first shuttle docking to the International Space Station. Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan, Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry, Julie Payette and Valery Tokarev lifted off at 5:50 a.m. Central time following a flawless countdown. Less than nine minutes later, they reached orbit to begin their pursuit of the station. At the time of launch, the ISS's two modules, Zarya and Unity, were traveling due east of the outer banks of the Carolinas northwest of Bermuda at an altitude of about 210 nautical miles. Discovery will catch up to the ISS late tomorrow night for the first docking of a Shuttle to the new orbital outpost. That will mark the start of six days of docked activities in which the astronauts plan to transfer almost two tons of supplies to the station and conduct a spacewalk to continue outfitting the fledgling facility. Once on orbit, the astronauts began to activate shuttle systems and conducted early work in advance of their rendezvous with the ISS, which will begin early Friday evening. Having launched late in their workday, the astronauts are scheduled to begin an eight hour sleep period at 10:50 a.m. Central time. They will be awakened this evening about 6:50 p.m. Central time for the start of their second day in space - a day which will be highlighted by ongoing preparations for both the docking of Discovery to the station Friday night and the scheduled spacewalk by Jernigan and Barry late Saturday night. Discovery is orbiting at altitude of about 170 nautical miles, with all of its systems functioning in good shape. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued about 8 p.m. Central time, or as events warrant. On Thursday, May 27, 1999, 8:00 p.m. EDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #02 reports: The crew of STS-96 was awakened just before 7 p.m. by the Beach Boys' version of "California Dreamin,'" played for Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan. Once awake, Discovery's seven-member crew began preparing for its first full day on orbit to ready the vehicle for tomorrow night's docking with the International Space Station and a spacewalk the night after. Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry, Julie Payette, Valery Tokarev and Jernigan will spend much of the day checking out orbiter systems and spacewalking equipment, while continuing to slowly close in on the station through a series of calculated rendezvous maneuvers. The crew will examine and prepare the tools required to support rendezvous and docking operations, and later will spend a number of hours checking and testing the extravehicular mobility units, or space suits, that will be used during the planned spacewalk Saturday night into Sunday morning. Both suits are checked far enough ahead of the spacewalk to ensure good working condition in plenty of time to allow for any required troubleshooting work by the specialists on the ground. Also tonight and into tomorrow, Canadian astronaut Payette will assist Ochoa in testing the mechanical arm, checking its operation while conducting a video survey of the payload bay. This procedure will make certain the arm is functioning properly to support the spacewalk. Just before the pre-sleep period, Tokarev, a Russian cosmonaut, will move some logistics transfer items stored on the shuttle's middeck, into the Spacehab module to provide more room for the spacesuit checkout activities. Discovery currently is orbiting at an altitude of about 200 nautical miles. At about 7 o'clock this evening, Central time, the shuttle was 775 nautical miles behind the station, closing in at a rate of about 60 nautical miles every 90 minutes. The only problem of any significance on the orbiter is the apparent failure of one of the four corner cameras in Discovery's payload bay. This poses no problem with the flight as there are various other cameras available to document activities related to docking, the spacewalk and deploy later in the flight of STARSHINE. STS-96 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Friday, May 28, 1999, 8:00 a.m. EDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #03 reports: Discovery's international crew spent a busy day in orbit preparing for the major events ahead, a first time docking with the International Space Station late tonight and a spacewalk late Saturday night. With the Shuttle trailing the station by less than 500 nautical miles and moving closer every orbit, Commander Kent Rominger twice fired Discovery's steering jets to fine tune the Shuttle's approach to the new station. The engine firings were the first in a series that will culminate in a docking with the station planned for 11:24 p.m. Central time today. Down on Discovery's middeck, Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette opened the tunnel and hatches leading to the Spacehab module in the payload bay. Spacehab is loaded with equipment, clothes and food to be stored aboard the new orbital outpost. Later, Payette and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev temporarily stowed some equipment in the module to free up room in Discovery's cabin. In preparation for Saturday's spacewalk, astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry, assisted by Payette and Pilot Rick Husband, successfully tested three spacesuits aboard Discovery. All of the equipment was found to be in excellent condition and ready for the spacewalk, during which Jernigan and Barry will install both U.S. and Russian-built cranes to the station for use by future astronaut construction crews. Ochoa and Payette also tested the Shuttle's 50-foot robot arm and used it to conduct a television survey of Discovery's payload bay. Jernigan and Ochoa extended the outer ring of Discovery's Orbiter Docking System in a successful test of the mechanism which will make the first contact with and capture a similar mechanism in the Pressurized Mating Adapter affixed to the ISS's Unity. Before beginning their presleep period, the astronauts lowered Discovery's cabin pressure as a precursor to Jernigan and Barry breathing pure oxygen tomorrow night in advance of their spacewalk. This protocol helps to purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams, preventing any adverse effects from the vacuum of space during their excursion into Discovery's payload bay. The crew will begin an abbreviated 7 hour sleep period at 8:50 a.m. Central time today and will be awakened at 4:20 p.m. to begin preparations for rendezvous and docking. Discovery is orbiting at an altitude of 230 statute miles, with all of its systems operating normally. On Friday, May 28, 1999, 6:30 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #04 reports: Discovery's astronauts were awakened at 4:20 p.m. Central today by Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," played in honor of Commander Kent Rominger, an alumnus of the Naval Fighter Weapons School of "Top Gun" movie fame. Rominger will guide Discovery to the first-ever Shuttle docking with the International Space Station this evening. Discovery is planned to dock with the station at 11:24 p.m. Central. At wake-up, the Shuttle trailed the station by about 120 nautical miles and was closing in by about 41 nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. The final phase of rendezvous will begin when Discovery reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station and fires its engines in a terminal phase initiation burn at 8:35 p.m. Central. The TI burn, as it is called, will put the Shuttle on a course directly toward the station during the next orbit of Earth. As Discovery moves within about a half-mile of the station, Rominger will take over manual control of the Shuttle's approach, flying Discovery from controls in the aft cockpit. Discovery will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station at about 10:05 p.m. Central, and Rominger will then begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Discovery will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it at about 10:32 p.m. Central. Rominger will then begin to descend toward the station and, at about 10:37 p.m. Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Rominger will stationkeep at that distance for about 15 minutes to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations before continuing the approach. At 11:13 p.m., Rominger will again briefly hold position at a point about 30 feet from the station to ensure the Shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 11 minutes later with the Shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second. During the rendezvous, Pilot Rick Husband will assist Rominger in controlling Discovery's approach. Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Ellen Ochoa also will assist with the rendezvous and docking, with Jernigan operating the Shuttle's docking mechanism and Ochoa assisting with the rendezvous navigation. After docking, Ochoa and Jernigan will perform a hatch leak check. Later, Mission Specialists Dan Barry, Jernigan and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will prepare the middeck for Saturday's spacewalk. Discovery's crew will not open the hatch to the Unity module and enter the station until Sunday, a day after the spacewalk is completed. Space station flight controllers planned to command the station into the orientation for docking - Unity toward space and the Zarya module toward Earth - at about 7 p.m. Central to prepare for Discovery's arrival. STS-96 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Saturday, May 29, 1999, 1:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #05 report: Discovery's astronauts executed the first-ever docking with the International Space Station late Friday night, easing the shuttle to a textbook linkup with the new orbital facility at 11:24pm Central time as the two craft flew over the Russian-Kazakh border. Commander Kent Rominger nudged Discovery to the docking with the ISS following a flawless rendezvous. Once a hard mate was established between the two vehicles, the astronauts began to perform leak checks and pressurization checks prior to opening the hatch to the Pressurized Mating Adapter attached to the Unity module. Discovery docked to Unity's Pressurized Mating Adapter # 2, which was pointed to deep space during the final phase of the rendezvous and approach to the station by the shuttle. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 8:50am Central time this morning and will be awakened just before 5pm this afternoon to begin preparations for the spacewalk by Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry late tonight to install additional equipment to the outside of the ISS. On Saturday, May 29, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #06 reports: Having completed the first space shuttle docking with the International Space Station late last night, Discovery's astronauts will go to sleep at 8:50 a.m. Central time to rest up for a space walk late tonight to install a pair of cranes and other gear to the exterior of the orbital complex. Commander Kent Rominger completed a textbook rendezvous and docking with the station that Mission Control said would set the standard for future ISS assembly flights. Contact between Discovery and the station occurred right on time at 11:24 p.m. Central time Friday. Once the two spacecraft were solidly mated together at 11:39 p.m., the astronauts performed leak and pressurization checks, then opened the hatch to Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, attached to the Unity module. Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa and Valery Tokarev temporarily stowed docking targets and lights and checked hatch seals in the narrow passageway. Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband removed and stowed four electronics boxes used to supply power to the docking ports around the Unity module, clearing the sides of the passageway into Unity for easy transfer of some 3,600 pounds of equipment and supplies. The briefcase-sized boxes will be kept in storage until the end of the next station assembly flight on STS-101 in December, when they will be reinstalled to prepare for the arrival of the U.S. Laboratory module, Destiny, next spring. Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry spent the rest of the morning checking the tools they will use on their space walk, which is scheduled to begin shortly after 10 p.m. Central time. They also checked out their emergency rescue backpacks and reviewed their space walk procedures one last time. The astronauts will be awakened at 4:50 p.m. today to begin final preparations for the 6 = hour excursion into Discovery's cargo bay. With Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa operating the shuttle's robot arm to maneuver Jernigan up toward the space station modules, and Julie Payette acting as the spacewalk choreographer from Discovery's aft flight deck, Barry and Jernigan will move the two cranes from a payload bay cargo support structure to locations on the outside of the station. One crane is U.S.-built and the other is Russian-built to help move large modular components from one module to another during ISS assembly. Next, they will move two portable foot restraints from the cargo carrier to the mating adapter to which the Zarya and Unity modules are attached. Then, they'll move three bags containing handrails and tools for future space walkers to the outside of Unity. If time permits, the space walkers also will install a thermal cover on a Unity trunnion pin, inspect some peeling paint on Zarya, and survey one of two Early Communications System antennas on the starboard side of Unity. The space walkers are scheduled to reenter the hatch about 4 a.m. Central time Sunday. Meanwhile, all systems aboard the Discovery / ISS space complex continue to work well as the two craft orbit 240 statute miles above the Earth's surface. On Saturday, May 29, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #07 reports: At 4:50 this afternoon, the crew of Discovery awoke to the sound of the Space Center Intermediate Band playing familiar themes from "Star Wars." The music and performers were of particular interest to Mission Specialist Dan Barry because his daughter, Jenny, plays flute in that band. Barry and fellow Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan are STS-96's own "skywalkers" tonight as they prepare to work outside Discovery during an Extravehicular Activity scheduled to begin shortly after 10 this evening. During the planned six and a half hour space walk, Jernigan and Barry are scheduled to install some 700 pounds of tools and equipment on the International Space Station's exterior for use on future assembly flights. The space walk will include the transfer of two cranes from the shuttle's payload bay to locations on the outside of the station. The cranes will help subsequent space station crews move large modular components from one module to another. With Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa operating the shuttle's robot arm to maneuver Jernigan up toward the space station, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will choreograph the activities from the Discovery's flight deck. The astronauts will move the first crane, the American built Orbital Transfer Device from the cargo pallet to one of the pressurized mating adapters located on either side of the Unity module. Jernigan and Barry then will move components of a second crane, the Russian-built Strela - Arrow in English - to the other PMA closest to the shuttle. Their last scheduled task is to open a storage box on the cargo carrier and move three equipment and tool bags to locations on the outside of the ISS. Time permitting, they will install a thermal cover on Unity's payload bay attach pin, inspect some painted surfaces on Zarya's exterior and examine a communications antenna on Unity's starboard side. The space walkers are scheduled to climb back aboard Discovery at about 4 a.m. Central time Sunday. Meanwhile, all systems aboard the Discovery and ISS space complex continue to work well as the two craft orbit 240 statute miles above the Earth's surface. STS-96 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Sunday, May 30, 1999, 7:30 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #08 reports: STS-96 Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry completed the second longest space walk in shuttle history at 5:51 a.m. Central time Sunday, accomplishing all of the objectives mapped out for their excursion as well as a couple of unscheduled activities. Today's space walk - the 45th in space shuttle history and the fourth of the International Space Station era - began at 9:56 p.m. Central time Saturday night, and concluded at 5:51 a.m. Sunday, lasting 7 hours, 55 minutes. The longest spacewalk was conducted by STS-49 Astronauts Rick Heib, Pierre Thuot and Tom Akers, which lasted 8 hours, 29 minutes on May 13 and 14, 1992. During today's spacewalk, Jernigan and Barry transferred and installed two cranes from the shuttle's payload bay to locations on the outside of the station. They also installed two new portable foot restraints that will fit both American and Russian space boots, and attached three bags filled with tools and handrails that will be used during future assembly operations. Once those primary tasks were accomplished, Jernigan and Barry installed an insulating cover on a trunnion pin on the Unity module, documented painted surfaces on both the Unity and Zarya modules, and inspected one of two early communications system antennas on the Unity. Throughout the space walk, Jernigan and Barry were assisted by their crew mates as Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa operated the Shuttle's robot arm to maneuver Jernigan around Discovery's cargo bay, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette acted as "choreographer" of the spacewalk from Discovery's flight deck. The excursion raised the total number of International Space Station era space walks to four, with the total time spent on construction activities now standing at 29 hours, 17 minutes. STS-88 Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman spent 21 hours, 22 minutes outside Endeavour during their three space walks. The crew is scheduled to begin its sleep shift at 8:50 a.m. today and will receive a wake-up call from Mission Control at 4:50 p.m. The crew is scheduled to open a series of hatches connecting Discovery with the International Space Station and enter the new facility about 7:35 p.m. Central time to begin the transfer of equipment and logistical supplies from the Shuttle to the station. They'll also conduct repairs on battery charging systems in Zarya and a balky communications system in Unity. On Sunday, May 30, 1999, 7:30 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #09 reports: Discovery's astronauts are preparing to enter the International Space Station for the first time in six months following a rousing wakeup call from Mission Control in honor of Memorial Day. The crew is scheduled to climb inside the Unity and Zarya modules mid evening to begin transferring nearly 3,000 pounds of equipment to be used by future crews on the ISS. In and around transferring operations, some maintenance tasks will be conducted - one inside Zarya and one inside Unity. After wakeup to the notes of the US Coast Guard Band playing "Morning Colors," the crew reviewed procedures for the entry activities with both Mission Control Centers in Houston and Moscow. Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev will travel to the Zarya module and begin maintenance activities on the storage batteries located under the floor board. The Zarya has six such batteries, which have been experiencing a slight loss in charging capacity during recharge. Each battery has three "charge controllers" for a total of 18 that will be changed during this procedure. Later, Mission Specialist Dan Barry and Tokarev will install some acoustic insulation around some fans inside Zarya to reduce noise levels in the module. Meanwhile, in the Unity module, Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan and Pilot Rick Husband will install shelving in 2 soft stowage racks. The racks themselves were launched with Unity in December 1998 for use in supporting logistics transfer activities. Later, Husband and Barry will conduct troubleshooting and maintenance activities on the Early Communications System. In the afternoon, the third major task of the flight begins - transfer of logistics items. Ochoa will coordinate this activity and will direct and document all transfers leaving the shuttle. On the ISS side, Payette will receive the items and, along with Tokarev, will document and stow items aboard the ISS. Discovery's astronauts are scheduled to transfer almost 2,900 pounds of supplies and equipment during the next three days. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at approximately 7 a.m. Central time or as events warrant. STS-96 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Monday, May 31, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #10 reports: For the first time in six months, astronauts entered the International Space Station delivering supplies and preparing the outpost to receive its first resident crew, scheduled to arrive in early 2000. Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Russian Space Agency cosmonaut Valery Tokarev opened the hatch into the Unity module at 8:14 p.m. CDT Sunday, then continued through Pressurized Mating Adapter 1 into the Zarya module at 9:07 p.m. Commander Kent Rominger and the rest of the crew - Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette - soon followed. After inspecting their expanded living quarters, the crew began transferring supplies, equipment and water that will be left aboard, an effort that was coordinated by Ochoa. The bulk of the supplies and equipment were shipped up in a double Spacehab module carried in Discovery's cargo bay. Payette and Tokarev replaced 12 of 18 battery recharge controllers in the Russian-built Zarya module. Zarya has six batteries, which have been experiencing a slight loss in capacity during recharge. Each battery has three "charge controllers," known by the Russian acronym MIRTS. The astronauts replaced controllers for four of the batteries, and are scheduled to replace the recharge controllers for the other two later today. The work was carefully coordinated with flight controllers in the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow, who issued commands to turn the battery systems on and off via ground-based communication stations. Barry and Tokarev also installed a series of "mufflers" over fans inside Zarya to reduce noise levels in that module. Barry and Husband replaced a power distribution unit and transceiver for the Early Communications System in the Unity module, restoring that system to its full capability. This supplemental communications system enables flight controllers to send commands to the station from the Mission Control complex in Houston. Near the end of their workday, Rominger, Jernigan and Barry discussed the progress of their mission, including Jernigan and Barry's space walk and last night's entry into the International Space Station, with NBC's "Today," show, CBS "This Morning" and CNN. The crew is scheduled to begin its sleep period at 8:20 a.m. CDT, and will awaken at 4:20 p.m. to continue their work in the ISS. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at approximately 7 p.m. Central time or as events warrant. On Monday, May 31, 1999, 6:00 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Discovery's crew of seven awoke to the country and western tune "Amarillo by Morning" to begin flight day six on orbit. The George Strait version was played in honor of Pilot Rick Husband, who is from Amarillo, Texas. Today, most of the crew will be involved in logistics transfer activities within the Discovery/ISS orbiting complex. Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry have a significant portion of their day dedicated to moving transfer bags of different sizes and shapes from the Spacehab module in Discovery's cargo bay to resting places inside the International Space Station. Some 2,900 pounds of logistics items and water will be transferred before the crew bids goodbye to its orbiting work site on Thursday. Discovery's crew will also complete maintenance activities in support of the station. Early in the workday, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will change out the last battery recharge controller modules attached to two of Zarya's storage batteries. These recharging units, also known as microelectronic charge/discharge current integrator units, determine the battery charge level. Since mid-April, flight controllers had been monitoring a slight decrease in this level, and the on-orbit maintenance work is expected to allow the batteries to charge fully once again. Later, Barry and Tokarev will put the remaining sound mufflers inside the Zarya module. Ambient noise from air circulating fans and equipment could be somewhat distracting to crew members spending time on orbit, so mufflers are being installed to dampen the noise. After the install, Barry will measure sound levels at different positions inside the module. At 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, Commander Kent Rominger and Tokarev will conduct a news conference with Russian media located at the Mission Control Center in Moscow. The day will end with a logistics transfer briefing conducted by Payette. The crew is scheduled to turn in at about 8 a.m. CDT Tuesday. Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. The next mission status report will be issued Tuesday morning. STS-96 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Tuesday, June 1, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #12 reports: Discovery's crew headed for its sleep period this morning, reporting significant progress in the transfer of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station after finishing up the planned refurbishment of a battery system in one of the station's modules. Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa, the "load master" of this resupply mission, radioed to Mission Control that many of the larger items to be transferred to the new station, such as laptop computers and clothing, had made their way from Discovery to the ISS. At the time the astronauts prepared to go to sleep, well over 50 per cent of all planned transfers were complete. Early in the crew's workday, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette changed out the final six battery recharge controller units for two of Zarya's power-producing batteries. The new recharging units are expected to allow the batteries to charge and discharge properly once again. They had experienced difficulty soon after Zarya's launch last November. Twelve of the units were replaced late Sunday. Dan Barry and Tokarev continued the installation of mufflers inside Zarya to help dampen sound levels in the Russian module. Commander Kent Rominger sent down a video inspection of the mufflers installed on portions of the air circulating duct work, explaining that the mufflers are causing some of the flexible ductwork to collapse. Flight controllers believe that humidity levels inside Zarya are at an acceptable level even though they are a bit higher than predicted because of some restriction to air flow in the module. Additional muffler and humidity reduction work likely will be conducted by the astronauts late tonight. Rominger and Tokarev took time out to answer questions regarding the progress of the flight from Russian reporters located at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central time, with a wake-up call scheduled for 3:50 p.m. to begin their seventh day of work in space. Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued Tuesday evening at about 6 p.m. Central time or as developments warrant. On Tuesday, June 1, 1999, 6:30 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #13 reports: Discovery's crew awakened this afternoon to the classical music selection "Exultate Jubilate" by Mozart. The selection is a favorite of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Logistics transfer activities will dominate the on-orbit day as all crew members will moves supplies from the Spacehab module to designated locations in the International Space Station. By the end of docked operations, Discovery's crew will have transferred almost 3,000 pounds of items, including clothing, sleeping bags, water, medical support equipment, maintenance spares and computer support and maintenance equipment into the orbiting complex to support future resident crews. This transfer effort is being managed by Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa is managing this effort while Payette stands ready inside the station to receive the goods. At the start of today's work, the transfer was about 70 percent complete. Payette and Commander Kent Rominger exchanged greetings and discussed the mission with Canada's Prime Minister Jean Cretien and Science Minister John Manley and also answered questions from students across Canada. Later, at 11:00 p.m. CDT on NASA TV, the entire crew will answer questions from both U.S. and Canadian reporters. Finally, at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Ochoa will be interviewed by Good Morning America, KFDA-TV in Amarillo, Texas and KUSA-TV in Denver, Colorado. Rominger is a native of Del Norte, Colorado and Husband is a native of Amarillo, Texas. Near the end of the day, Ochoa again will conduct a transfer status briefing with the ground to confirm the day's completed transfer tasks. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday and wake up to begin Flight Day Eight at 3:50 p.m. Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued Wednesday morning at about 7 a.m. Central time or as developments warrant. STS-96 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Wednesday, June 2, 1999, 8:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #14 reports: Discovery's seven astronauts have successfully transferred almost two tons of material and equipment to the International Space Station be used by the first residents of the outpost when they arrive next year. Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa, who has been coordinating the transfer activities, reported early this morning that the transfer of clothing, water, sleeping bags, spare parts, medical equipment, supplies and hardware for the so-called Expedition One crew is essentially complete. Mission Specialist Julie Payette coordinated stowage of the items in the Unity and Zarya modules. Earlier in the flight, space walkers Dan Barry and Tammy Jernigan installed another 700 pounds of equipment on the exterior of the station to be used during future assembly missions. A handful of items will be carried from Discovery to the station late tonight to wrap up the primary objective of the flight. One of the few items still to be transferred is a seventh bag of water. A total of almost 75 gallons of water will be left aboard the station for the first resident crew, which is comprised of Expedition Commander Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Kirkalev. With the transfer work all but complete, the astronauts conducted some additional work, installing parts of a wireless strain gauge system that will help engineers track the effects of adding modules to the station throughout its assembly, cleaning filters and checking smoke detectors. The crew took time from their activities overnight to conduct a variety of news conferences with media representatives, and Payette accepted a congratulatory call from Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and schoolchildren in Ottawa. The astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central time and will be awakened at 3:50 p.m. to begin their final day of work aboard the international station The primary activity for the astronauts will be to move the few remaining items from Discovery to the ISS, then close a series of hatches within the station's modules leading back to the shuttle. Shortly after 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Discovery's thrusters will be commanded to fire in a series of 17 bursts to raise the Space Station's altitude by about five to six miles. That reboost maneuver will enable the station to be in the correct altitude for the arrival of the Russian Zvezda service module late this year. It will be the next component to be linked to the growing station complex and the first living quarters for the first permanent occupants of the orbital facility. Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at about 7 p.m. Wednesday or as developments warrant. On Wednesday, June 2, 1999, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #15 reports: Discovery's astronauts will finish their work inside the International Space Station tonight and are scheduled have all the hatches closed by about 4 a.m. Thursday. Shortly thereafter, the shuttle's small thrusters will be fired to raise the entire complex's orbit in preparation for the undocking and departure set for late tomorrow afternoon. The crew was awakened at 3:50 this afternoon by the Russian song "Vasha Blagarodye" followed by "The Charleston." The tunes were played for cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa. The early part of the evening includes the completion of transfer activities. By day's end, the crew will have transferred a total of 115 items totaling 3,718 pounds of equipment both inside and outside the space station. Those numbers include seven containers of water totaling about 84 gallons for use by future station crews. Ochoa and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will use the shuttle's robot arm one last time this evening to conduct a survey of the port side antenna for the Early Communications System on Unity. This survey will complete robotic arm tasks scheduled earlier in the flight. Once that is completed, the crew will begin closing the hatches that were opened after Discovery docked with the station earlier this week. The crew will climb out of Zarya at about 12:30 a.m. central time Thursday and will move out of the Unity module at about 2:50 a.m., closing the final hatch at about 3:30 a.m. Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband will begin boosting the station's altitude at about 4:30 tomorrow morning using the Reaction Control System thrusters on the orbiter. The 40-minute activity will raise the complex's altitude by about 6 miles (statute). Undocking from the International Space Station is not scheduled until late Thursday afternoon at about 5:40 p.m. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at about 7 a.m. Thursday or as developments warrant. STS-96 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Thursday, June 3, 1999, 7:30 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #16 reports: Discovery's astronauts closed the hatches leading into the International Space Station early this morning and boosted the station into a higher orbit to set the stage for a planned arrival of the Russian-built Zvezda Service Module later this year. After moving the last items from Discovery into the station, the crew closed the final hatch on the orbiting outpost at 3:44 a.m. CDT. The astronauts spent a total of 79 hours, 30 minutes inside the station during this flight. Combined with the 28 hours, 30 minutes the STS-88 astronauts spent on board during the first ISS assembly flight last December, the total human occupation time for the new station stands at 108 hours. During four days of transfer work, the astronauts moved more than 4,500 pounds of equipment, hardware and supplies intended for the station's first resident crew. Of that total weight, 3,567 pounds of material, including 686 pounds of water, were transferred from Discovery to the station; 18 items weighing 197 pounds were moved from the station to Discovery for a return to Earth; and 662 pounds of supplies were mounted to the station during a spacewalk by astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry. The crew began its carefully choreographed departure from the station, first closing Zarya's Instrumentation Cargo Compartment hatch at 1:40 a.m. Central time. The Pressurized Adapter Hatch was closed at 2:12 a.m., and the final hatch closure on Unity was complete at 3:44 a.m. Shortly after 4:30 this morning, Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband commanded a series of 17 pulses of Discovery's reaction control system jets to boost the station's orbit. When the reboost was complete about 37 minutes later, the station and shuttle were in an orbit of approximately 246 by 241 statute miles, within 57 feet of the original target. Flight controllers estimate the station will be at an altitude of 222 statute miles late this year when Zvezda is scheduled to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Discovery is scheduled to undock from the station at 5:39 p.m. Central time today and will perform a 2 ½ lap flyaround of the station, before Husband fires Discovery's jets in a final burst to move Discovery away from the station, concluding six days of docked operations. The astronauts begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. today, and will awaken at 2:50 p.m. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at about 7 p.m. Thursday or as developments warrant. On Thursday, June 3, 1999, 8:00 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #17 reports: Discovery departed the International Space Station at 5:39 p.m. Central today as the two spacecraft flew 245 miles above northwest Mongolia, leaving the new outpost stocked with more than two tons of supplies and equipment for future crews. Pilot Rick Husband backed Discovery away after astronaut Tammy Jernigan commanded the shuttle's docking mechanism to release the station. Springs in the mechanism provided an initial push, and then Husband fired Discovery's jets to move to a distance of about 400 feet before beginning a two and a half-circle flyaround. Discovery spent 5 days, 18 hours and 17 minutes linked to the station. The crew awakened this afternoon to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" in anticipation of Discovery's departure from the International Space Station. Atlantis will be the next shuttle to visit the station on a December supply mission, after the Russian launch this fall of an unpiloted living quarters that will automatically dock with the modules. The Service Module, now named Zvezda, which is the Russian word for 'Star,' is undergoing its final months of processing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, prior to launch atop a Proton rocket. After the flyaround, Husband fired Discovery's jets at about 7:53 p.m. Central to depart the station's vicinity. The engine firing sent the Shuttle below and ahead of the station, separating at a rate of about seven nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. Later this evening the crew will transfer the spacesuits used earlier in the flight to storage locations in the shuttle's airlock. Commander Kent Rominger will repressurize Discovery's cabin to about 14.7 pounds per square inch, a pressure identical to sea level on Earth. The cabin was depressurized slightly yesterday as part of the normal procedure for sealing hatches within the International Space Station. The crew will have time off for the last half of its day. After Discovery has left the vicinity, station flight controllers will maneuver the complex into the standard orientation for unpiloted operations, a fuel-conserving slow spin with the Unity module pointed toward Earth and Zarya toward space. Discovery's crew will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central Friday and awaken at 3:50 p.m. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at about 7 a.m. Friday or as developments warrant. STS-96 Flight Day 9 Highlights: On Friday, June 4, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #18 reports: After leaving the International Space Station behind, Discovery's astronauts were rewarded with several hours of scheduled off-duty time in recognition of their ambitious pace of activities over the past several days. Discovery undocked from ISS at 5:39 p.m. central time yesterday, having delivered more than two tons of water, supplies and equipment to the space station. As Discovery departed from the station, Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry packed away the space suit gear they used during their spacewalk early in the mission, while Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband practiced landings on a laptop computer program. Mission Specialists Julie Payette and Valery Tokarev helped to stow gear and repressurized the shuttle's cabin to its standard 14.7 pounds per square inch. Once they are awakened at 3:50 this afternoon, the astronauts will focus on preparing for a Sunday landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Rominger, Husband and Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa will conduct a test to verify the performance of Discovery's steering jets. They also will activate one of three hydraulic power units to move the various aerosurfaces that will be used to control Discovery during its reentry and landing. The crew also will prepare to deploy a small, student-built payload called STARSHINE. The Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Equipment satellite will be ejected from a canister in Discovery's payload bay at 2:10 a.m. Saturday by Payette. STARSHINE is a 19-inch hollow sphere covered by about 800 aluminum mirrors polished to a high shine by students around the world. International student observers will visually track the reflective spacecraft during the early morning and twilight hours for several months, measuring the atmosphere's density based on the rate at which STARSHINE's orbit decays. Discovery has two Sunday landing opportunities on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15. The first would begin with a deorbit burn at 11:54 p.m. CDT Saturday, and end with a landing at 1:03 a.m. Sunday. The second calls for a deorbit burn at 1:30 a.m. CDT Sunday, with landing at 2:38 a.m. The weather forecast calls for generally acceptable conditions. On Friday, June 4, 1999, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #19 reports: Discovery's crew was awakened this afternoon to begin readying its spaceship for the return trip home early Sunday morning. But before that, the crew has one last mission objective to complete: The deploy of a small educational satellite at 2:21 a.m. Saturday. After the wakeup call from Mission Control, the song "Good Morning Starshine," in recognition of the early morning deploy of the spherical-shaped, mirror-covered STARSHINE satellite. Students on Earth will use changes in the orbit of the highly reflective satellite to calculate the density of the earth's atmosphere throughout the projected 8 months that the 19-inch diameter satellite will remain in orbit. More than 25,000 students from 18 countries are participating in the project. Before the crew deploys STARSHINE from a small canister in the payload bay, however, the crew will ready Discovery for the return home by testing the aero surfaces on the wings and tail, as well as the small steering jets to ensure their health to support reentry and landing activities Saturday night into Sunday morning. These checkouts are routinely done the day before the shuttle is scheduled to return home. There currently are two landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday. For the first, Commander Kent Rominger would fire Discovery's braking rockets Saturday evening at 11:54 p.m. CDT and land at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:02 a.m. Sunday. The second landing opportunity is about an hour and a half later 2:38 a.m. This will be the 11th night landing for the shuttle program (five previously at Edwards AFB, Calif., and five at KSC). Weather forecasters predict favorable conditions for landing with a chance of developing rain showers. Based on that, landing support will only be called in for support in Florida. In and around landing preparations and the STARSHINE deploy, the crew will stow all equipment used throughout the mission. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at about 6 a.m. Saturday or as developments warrant. STS-96 Flight Day 10 Highlights: On Saturday, June 5, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #20 reports: During their final full day in orbit, Discovery's astronauts released a small student satellite high over the Indian Ocean and prepared for a Sunday morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Mission Specialist Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency deployed the spherical, mirror-covered STARSHINE satellite at 2:31 a.m. CDT. The satellite rose slowly out of its payload bay and entered an orbit two miles below Discovery. At 6 a.m. CDT, the two spacecraft were 26 miles apart, with the distance between them widening by 10 miles each orbit. STARSHINE project officials at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center report they have already been able to see the bright satellite. More than 25,000 students from 18 countries are participating in the project. As the students track the satellite - which is visible to the naked eye - they will calculate the density of the Earth's upper atmosphere by recording changes in STARSHINE'S orbit. The satellite is expected to remain aloft for about 8 months, re-entering the atmosphere in January. Earlier in the day, the shuttle crew successfully verified the performance of Discovery's small steering jets and flight control surfaces, ensuring their readiness to support landing. The crew also tested all the necessary communications channels, and stowed away some of the equipment and hardware used on board over the past several days. With favorable weather conditions forecast for the primary landing site, mission managers decided not to activate the back-up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California. There are two landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday. For the first, Commander Kent Rominger would fire Discovery's engines in a deorbit burn at 11:54 p.m. Saturday with a landing following at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:03 a.m. Sunday. The second landing opportunity calls for a deorbit burn at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, resulting in a landing at 2:38 a.m. This will be the 11th night landing for the shuttle program. Meanwhile the International Space Station continues to circle the globe at an altitude of 246 miles, trailing Discovery by 210 miles, with the distance increasing 10 miles each orbit. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued at 6 p.m. Saturday or as developments warrant. On Saturday, June 5, 1999, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #21 reports: Discovery and its seven-member crew are preparing to return home tonight with landing planned for 1:03 a.m. Central time following a flight that will go into the books as the first docking of a shuttle with the International Space Station. Weather permitting, Discovery's computers will ignite the twin breaking rockets on the tail just before midnight to slow the vehicle toward a descent through the atmosphere high above the Pacific Ocean. The ground track shows the orbiter navigating its way to its seaside home at the Kennedy Space Center from the south after crossing Costa Rica, Cuba, the Florida Everglades, and East of Lake Okechobee. The forecast for landing still shows a chance of rain within 30 miles of the runway and a possibility of crosswind violations on the 3-mile-long concrete Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway of choice for tonight's landing is Runway 15. The final turn to align the shuttle with the runway would be out over the water with landing from the northwest to the southeast. If landing is delayed one orbit, touchdown one orbit later at 2:38 a.m. CDT. Following crew wakeup at 4 p.m. today, the astronauts began the final preparations for landing, including closing the hatches to the Spacehab module, which has served as the cargo transfer compartment throughout the flight. The wakeup music was "The Longest Day," to commemorate what spacecraft communicator in Mission Control Mario Runco called a "landing of a different kind." His reference was to the 55th anniversary of the Allied troop landing on the beaches of Normandy during World War II that occurred on June 6, 1944. If all goes as planned, Discovery's cargo bay doors will swing shut at 9:18 p.m., after which the astronauts will climb into their launch and entry suits and strap into their seats. Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa will be joined on the flight deck for entry by Mission Specialist Julie Payette. Tammy Jernigan, Dan Barry and Valery Tokarev will be seated down on the middeck for entry. If landing occurs on the first opportunity, Discovery will have covered 3.8 million miles during the mission. STS-96 will be the 11th shuttle mission to end in darkness. Five previous flights have ended at Edwards AFB in California and five at KSC. The next STS-96 mission status report will be issued after landing. The next International Space Station status report will be issued on Thursday, June 10. STS-96 Flight Day 11 Highlights: On Sunday, June 6, 1999, 2:00 a.m. CDT, STS-96 MCC Status Report #22 reports: Discovery's astronauts glided to the 11th night landing in shuttle program history early Sunday, landing at 1:03 a.m. Central time to wrap up a 4 million mile mission to resupply the International Space Station. Discovery swooped out of darkness as Commander Kent Rominger set the shuttle and his crewmates down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida to successfully complete the first shuttle mission of the year. Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband fired Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines just before midnight Saturday over Thailand to enable the spaceship to drop out of orbit for its high speed return to Earth. Traveling in an almost due northerly ground track, Discovery crossed over Costa Rica, the southern Caribbean, northwest Cuba, and the Florida Everglades before honing in on the Kennedy Space Center for the 18th consecutive landing at the Florida spaceport. Rominger and Husband were joined on the flight deck for entry and landing by Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa and Mission Specialist Julie Payette, while Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan, Dan Barry and Valery Tokarev were seated down in the middeck. After landing, Discovery's astronauts were scheduled to undergo routine medical exams and be reunited with their families before spending the rest of the day relaxing in Florida. The crew is expected to return to Houston early Monday afternoon, with their crew arrival at Ellington Field planned for about 1:30 p.m. The STS-96 crew's return to Ellington is open to the public. Mission Name: STS-93 (95) Columbia (26) Pad 39-B (44) 94th Shuttle Mission 26th Flight OV-102 Night Launch (22) KSC Landing (48) 1st Female Shuttle Commander NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Eileen M. Collins (3), Mission Commander Jeffrey S. Ashby (1), Pilot Steven A. Hawley (5), Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman (2), Mission Specialist Michel Tognini (CNES) (2), Mission Specialist Milestones: OPF -- VAB -- 02/1/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/11/1998) PAD -- 06/07/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/08/1999) Payload: AXAF, MSX, SIMPLEX, SWUIS, GOSAMR, STL-B, LFSAH, CCM, SAREX-II, EarthKAM, PGIM, CGBA, MEMS, BRIC Mission Objectives: The primary objective of the STS-93 mission is to deploy the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility. AXAF is the most sophisticated X-ray observatory ever built. It is is designed to observe X-rays from high energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. This facility was recently renamed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. "Chandra" also means "Moon" or "luminous" in Sanskrit. The Observatory has three major parts: (1) the X-ray telescope, whose mirrors will focus X-rays from celestial objects; (2)the science instruments which record the X-rays so that X-ray images can be produced and analyzed; and (3) the spacecraft, which provides the environment necessary for the telescope and the instruments to work. Other payloads on STS-93 are the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust (SIMPLEX), Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS), Gelation of Sols: Applied Microgravity Research (GOSAMR), Space Tissue Loss - B (STL-B), Light Weight Flexible Solar Array Hinge (LFSAH), Cell Culture Module (CCM), and the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment - II (SAREX - II), EarthKam, Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity (PGIM), Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA), Micro-Electrical Mechanical System (MEMS), and the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC). The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) payload will require orbiter thruster firings to be used as a sensor calibration and evaluation target for the space-based ultraviolet, infrared, and visible sensors on the MSX satellite. The satellite will be in an approximately 560 nautical mile, 99 degree inclination orbit. The objective of Shuttle Ionespheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust (SIMPLEX) payload activity is to determine the source of Very High Frequency (VHF) radar echoes caused by the orbiter and its OMS engine firings. The Principal Investigator (PI) will use the collected data to examine the effects of orbital kinetic energy on ionospheric irregularities and to understand the processes that take place with the venting of exhaust materials. The Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging system (SWUIS) is based around a Maksutov-design Ultraviolet (UV) telescope and a UV-sensitive, image-intensified Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera that frames at video frame rates. Scientists can obtain sensitive photometric measurements of astronomical targets. The objective Gelation of Sols: Applied Microgravity Research (GOSAMR) experiment is to investigate the influence of microgravity on the processing of gelled sols. In particular, the purpose is to demonstrate that composite ceramic precursors composed of large particulates and small colloidal sols can be produced in space with more structural uniformity. It will also show that this improved uniformity will result in finer matrix grain sizes and superior physical properties. The focus of Space Tissue Loss - B (STL-B) is direct video observation of cells in culture through the use of a video microscope imaging system with the objective of demonstrating near real-time interactive operations to detect and induce cellular responses. The Light Weight Flexible Solar Array Hinge (LFSAH) payload consists of several hinges fabricated from shape memory alloys. Shape memory deployment hinges offer controlled shockless deployment of solar arrays and other spacecraft appendages. LFSAH demonstrates this deployment capability for a number of hinge configurations. The objectives of the Cell Culture Module (CCM) are to validate models for muscle, bone, and endothelial cell biochemical and functional loss induced by microgravity stress; to evaluate cytoskeleton, metabolism, membrane integrity and protease activity in target cells; and to test tissue loss pharmaceuticals for efficacy. The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX-II) demonstrates the feasibility of amateur short-wave radio contacts between the shuttle and ground-based amateur radio operators. SAREX also serves as an educational opportunity for schools around the world to learn about space by speaking directly to astronauts aboard the shuttle via ham radio. The EarthKAM payload will conduct Earth observations using the Electronic Still Camera (ESC) installed in the overhead starboard window of the Aft Flight Deck. The Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity (PGIM) payload experiment will use plants to monitor the space flight environment for stressful conditions that affect plant growth. Because plants cannot move away from stressful conditions, they have developed mechanisms that monitor their environment and direct effective physiological responses to harmful conditions. The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) payload hardware allows for sample processing and stowage functions. The Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus - Isothermal Containment Module (GBA-ICM) is temperature controlled to maintain a preset temperature environment, controls the activation and termination of the experiment samples, and provides an interface for crew interaction, control and data transfer. The Micro-Electrical Mechanical System (MEMS) payload examines the performance, under launch, microgravity, and reentry conditions of a suite of MEMS devices. These devices include accelerometers, gyros, and environmental and chemical sensors. The MEMS payload is self-contained and requires activation and deactivation only. The Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC) payload was designed to investigate the effects of space flight on small arthropod animals and plant specimens. The flight crew will be available at regular intervals to monitor and control payload/experiment operations. Launch: July 23, 1999 12:31 a.m. EDT. Launch window was 1 hour 56 minute. On Thursday, July 22, 1999 at 8:19 p.m. EDT the ice inspection team has finished inspecting the launch pad. At 9:05 a.m. EDT, the countdown clock picked up at the T-minus 3 hour mark. At 9:09 a.m. the crew exited the Operations and Checkout Building and departed for the launch pad. At 10:20pm EDT all crew members were seated for flight. At 10:30pm Columbias hatch was closed but one of the latches did not latch properly. The hatch was reopened and checks. At 10:53 p.m. EDT, the hatch was closed and leak checks performed. At 11:18 p.m. EDT a go was given to close out the white room and move the team back to the fall back area. At 12:15 a.m. EDT the mission management team in Firing Room 1 did a final poll of the launch team and all systems were go for launch. At 12:22am the countdown clock came out of the hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark. The countdown proceeded smoothly with liftoff occuring at 12:31 a.m. EDT On Thursday, July 22, 1999 at 3:15p.m. EDT fuel and oxidizer began flowing into Columbia's external tank. The process was completed shortly after 6 p.m. EDT. The countdown clock entered the hold at the T-minus 3 hour mark and was scheduled to resume the countdown at 9:04 p.m. EDT. At 7:19 p.m. the crew was awakened and seated for breakfast by 7:50 p.m. Departure from the Operations and Checkout Building is slated for 9:09 p.m. On Thursday, July 22, 1999 at 12:34am EDT, weather officers identified weather constraints to launch. A storm cell in the area produced lightning strikes within 8.5 miles of the launch pad. Shuttle launch weather criteria requires lightning producing storms to be no closer than 20 nautical miles from the launch site. The countdown clock was held at the T-minus 5 minute mark pending a weather clearance. Thunder storms did not move out of the area in time for a launch attempt so the launch was scrubbed at 1:20 a.m. EDT. On Wednesday, July 21, 1999 at 10:01pm EDT, the hatch on Columbia was closed in preparation for an on schedule launch at 12:28pm EDT. On Wednesday, July 21, 1999 at 8:43pm EDT, the crew departed the O&C Building on the way to Launch Pad 39-B. On Wednesday, July 21, 1999 at 3:30pm EDT, the launch countdown clock was preparing to go out of the hold at the T-minus 6 hour mark. The mission management team has given a go to start tanking operations. On Wednesday, July 21, 1999, The KSC launch team continues the smooth implementation of Shuttle Columbia's 48-hour launch scrub turnaround in preparation for Thursday's 12:28 a.m. launch attempt. The countdown clock began counting again today at 8:38 a.m. at the T-11 hour mark. Replacement of the external hydrogen burn-off ignitors at Launch Pad 39B concluded early this morning. In Firing Room No. 1, standard preflight monitoring of the Shuttle confirms that all systems are in good health and that Columbia's main propulsion system and hazardous gas detection system are ready to support launch just after midnight tonight. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/18/1999) On Tuesday, July 20 1999, the countdown proceeded to just seconds before launch (T-minus 8 seconds mark) when the a member of the launch team detected a spike in one of the sensors detecting the concentration of hydrogen in the shuttle aft engine compartment. A cutoff was called and the ground launch sequencer (GLS) entered into a RSLS (Redundant Sequence Launch Sequence) cutoff. The cutoff occured just prior to the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) start at the T-minus 6 seconds mark. The launch team is still investigating but the most likely problem is a sensor problem that would lead to a 48 hour scrub turnaround. A new launch date is set for July 22, 1999 at 12:28 a.m. EDT. On Monday, July 1999 at 11:44 EDT at the T-minus 14 minutes and counting, Mission commander Eileen Collins reported a problem with a higher temp than expected in avionics bay #1. The launch team called a Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) violation to allow time for the problem to be investigated while continuing to count down to the hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark. After an investigation, the mission management team gave a final go for launch. On Monday, July 19, 1999, with the countdown clock at the T-minus 1 hour 34 minute mark, all of Columbia's crew were strapped into their seats. At 10:19 p.m. EDT air to ground voice checks were conducted and the white room launch team prepared the orbiter for final closeouts. At 10:34 p.m. EDT, the hatch was closed and locked for flight. On Monday, July 19, 1999 at 3:46 p.m. EDT the countdown exited the hold at the T-minus 6 hour mark and began flowing 528,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into Columbia's external tank. The fueling process takes approximately three hours. At 8:30 a.m., after eating breakfast in the Operations and Checkout building, the crew donned their launch and entry suits and had a weather briefing. At 8:51 p.m. EDT, the crew departed for the launch pad LC-39B. On Monday, July 19, 1999 at 1:30 a.m. EDT, it was discovered that the Cell Culture Module (CCM) experiment was not functioning properly after installation into Columbia's middeck. The unit was returned to an off line laboratory for troubleshooting and was reinstalled in the orbiter at 7 a.m. EDT. The unit was unable to be repaired. Also monday morning, while launch pad technicians were preparing Columbia's main windows for launch, they discovered some metal shavings between Window No. 1's internal pane and external pane. The launch team examined the situation and determined it would not be a constraint for launch. On Sunday, July 18, 1999, loading of the on-board cryogenics was concluded earlier in the morning, and off-loading of the extra cryogenics not needed for use in the orbiter's fuel cells during the mission continued until early afternoon. Following this, the orbiter mid-body umbilical unit was retracted and final pre-launch preparations of the three Shuttle main engines completed. The three-hour operation to load the external tank with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen will begin at about 3:46 p.m. Monday. Following this operation, the crew will be awakened at about 7 p.m., they will be seated for their pre-launch meal at 7:30 p.m., and depart for Launch Pad 39B at 8:51 p.m. Weather forecasters continue to indicate a 30 percent probability that weather could prohibit Tuesday's launch attempt. The single concern is for a chance of coastal showers. The forecast calls for clouds to be scattered at 3,000 and 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds out of the east at 8 knots peaking to 12 knots; temperature at 80 degrees F and humidity 86 percent. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/18/1999) On Friday, July 16, 1999, preparation for the launch of Shuttle Columbia on July 20 continues on schedule at Launch Pad 39B. Workers have completed orbiter aft compartment close-outs and are preparing to pickup the launch countdown tonight at 10 p.m. Payload close-outs are in work in preparation for tomorrow's payload bay door closure. Flight crew equipment stowage is on going. The five-member STS-93 flight crew arrived at KSC today at about 7 a.m. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/16/1999) On Monday, July 12, 1999 Truck No. 1 on the Rotating Service Structure at Launch Pad 39B, has been repaired and is ready to support standard prelaunch activities. Last Friday, engineers completed a simulated countdown test for the payload's inertial upper stage and workers conducted routine voltage tests as well. Columbia's aft compartment closeouts are in work this week. Flight crew equipment early stow occurs tomorrow along with preparations for ordnance installation. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/12/1999) On Thursday, July 8, 1999, after the Flight Readiness Review, Shuttle managers announced July 20 as the official launch date for STS-93. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/12/1999) On Wednesday, July 7, 1999 at Launch Pad 39B, preparations continue for Shuttle Columbia's target launch date of July 20. This week, technicians completed installation of the orbiter's mass memory unit No. 1 and pressurization of auxiliary power unit No. 2. Workers also completed the flight readiness test for the Chandra X-ray Observatory payload. Later this week, the IUS flight batteries will be installed. Tomorrow morning, Shuttle managers will assemble at KSC to conduct the STS-93 Flight Readiness Review. An official launch date is expected to be announced at the conclusion of the meeting. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/07/1999) On Sunday, June 27, 1999, the Chandra/IUS payload was transferred into Columbia's payload bay. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/28/1999) On Thursday, June 24, 1999, the Chandra/IUS payload arrived at Launch Pad 39B at about 3 a.m. and transfer into the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) began at about 6 a.m. Managers are now targeting Sunday for payload installation into Shuttle Columbia's payload bay. Later today, workers begin calibrating the orbiter's inertial measurement units and will conduct leak checks on the orbiter midbody umbilical unit. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test concluded today with the five-member flight crew participating in a launch day dress rehearsal. After a simulated main engine cutoff at 1 p.m., crew members practiced emergency egress procedures from Columbia's crew module. The astronauts will return to Houston, TX later today and resume their final preflight training. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/24/1999) On Monday, June 7, 1999 Columbia rolled out to Pad 39B at about 2 a.m. and was hard down at Launch Pad 39B at about 10 a.m. Launch pad validations were in work thru the evening. Auxiliary power unit hot fire testing and main engine tests were also scheduled. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/08/1999) On Friday, June 4, 1999, Columbia is hardmated to the external tank and solid rocket booster stack in VAB high bay 1 today. Tomorrow, the Shuttle Interface Test will conclude and over the weekend workers will prepare for Monday's Shuttle roll out to Launch Pad 39B. The Chandra X-ray Observatory and Inertial Upper Stage are undergoing interface verification testing today. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/04/1999) On Wednesday, May 19, 1999, the STS-93 solid rocket boosters and external tank moved from the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) refurbishment site to a temporary lightning protection area on the east side of the VAB. When VAB high bay 1 becomes available, the STS-93 stack will move inside the VAB to continue processing for its planned July launch. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/19/1999) On Saturday, May 15, 1999, KSC workers made the necessary flight hardware moves to accommodate this week's repair work on Shuttle Discovery's external tank. On Saturday, the STS-93 solid rocket boosters and external tank were rolled out of VAB high bay 1 and now temporarily reside at the Mobile Launcher Platform refurbishment site east of the VAB and will remain there as long as weather permits. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/17/1999) On Thursday, May 6, 1999, Payload bay radiator inspections concluded yesterday. Final inspection of Columbia's thermal protection system is under way and auxiliary power unit lubrication oil servicing resumes tomorrow. Tomorrow, Columbia's drag chute door will be installed. The orbiter's nose and main landing gear is slated for installation next week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/7/1999) On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Columbia is powered up in OPF bay 1. Orbiter mass memory unit loadingis complete and workers opened the payload bay doors last night. Orbiter processing for mission STS-93 resumes following routine OPF receiving inspections. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/20/1999) On Thursday, March 18, 1999 Columbia is jacked and leveled in VAB high bay 2 undergoing routine system observation during a temporary storage period. Columbia will remain in the VAB until mid-April, when Shuttle Discovery rolls out of OPF bay 1. Columbia will then be transferred to OPF bay 1 to complete STS-93's orbiter pre-launch preparations. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/18/1999) On Wednesday, January 20, 1999 NASA announced that it will delay the planned shipment of the Chandra X-ray Observatory from prime contractor TRW Space and Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA, to NASA's Kennedy Space Center , FL. The postponement will allow TRW to evaluate and correct a potential problem with several printed circuit boards in the observatory's command and data management system. This will result in approximately a five-week slip in the observatory's launch readiness date, which will allow for integration and testing of the units at Kennedy. If boards in the remote units must also be replaced, a more extensive slip is anticipated. (Reference NASA Press Release N99-4) On Monday, January 11, 1999 Columbia's forward and midbody compartment closeouts continue. Technicians will cycle the left-hand payload bay door today to check recently replaced seals. Managers plan to close the orbiter's payload bay doors Friday in preparation for an early February transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Leak checks on two of the orbiter's hypergolic line disconnects are in work today and this week Ku-band system stowage is scheduled. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/11/1999) On Monday, December 21, 1998, Columbia's payload bay doors were closed for the holiday down period. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid rocket boosters are in high bay 1 and closeouts will resume after the holidays. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/22/1998) On Friday, December 11, 1998, leak tests of Columbia's crew compartment were complete. Shimming of the orbiter's payload bay aft bulkhead continued. The routine modification ensures proper payload bay door closure. Auxiliary power unit No. 2 fuel tank pressurization was performed. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid rocket booster closeouts continued. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/11/1998) On Thursday, October 15, 1998 Columbia's main engine installation begins and engine heat shield installation follows in two weeks. The AXAF payload is now expected to arrive at KSC in early January and the payload premate test will move accordingly to mid-November. Shuttle managers are reviewing the possible impact to the STS-93 major milestones. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/14/1998) On Monday, July 6, 1998, Corrosion repair of Columbia's external tank umbilical doors continues. Workers are servicing the coolant loops for the orbiter's three fuel cells. Replacement of water spray boiler No. 3 is in progress. Auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3 will be installed beginning Thursday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/06/1998) Orbit: Altitude: 153 nm Inclination: 28.4 Orbits: 80 Duration: 4 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, 18 seconds. Distance: 1,796,000 miles Hardware: SRB: BIO-96 SRM: RSRM-68 ET : SN-99 MLP : SSME-1: SN-2012 SSME-2: SN-2031 SSME-3: SN-2019 Landing: KSC July 27, 1999 11:20 p.m. EDT Columbia landed at KSC's SLF on time at 11:20:30 pm EDT. Main gear touchdown occured at 11:20:35 pm EDT at a mission elapsed time (MET) of 4 days, 22 hours 49 min 35 seconds. Nose Wheel Touchdown occured at at 11:20:45 pm EDT (4 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes, 45 seconds) and wheel stop at 11:21:18pm EDT. (4 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes 18 seconds). At 10:49pm EDT, Columbia began to experience the effects of Earth's atmosphere. At 10:19pm EDT the crew of Columbia had the deorbit burn to bring the crew down for an on time landing at 11:20 p.m. The shuttle is scheduled to land on Runway 33 at KSC's SLF. Columbia's landing at Kennedy Space Center will be the 12th night landing in the Shuttle program's history. Five of those have been at Edwards Air Force Base in California and the rest have been at KSC. There have been 19 consecutive landings at KSC and 25 of the last 26 have been there. Mission Highlights: STS-93 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Friday, July 23, 1999, 1:00 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #1 reports: The Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off late Thursday night (early Friday morning, Eastern time) to carry five astronauts to orbit for the long-awaited deployment of Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which will unveil previously invisible mysteries of the universe. After two previous postponements, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini lit up the skies at Kennedy Space Center at 11:31 p.m. Central time Thursday (12:31 a.m. Eastern time Friday), to kick off the 95th mission in shuttle program history. It was the 20th nighttime launch. About 5 seconds after liftoff, flight controllers noted a voltage drop on one of the shuttle^Òs electrical buses. Because of this voltage drop, one of two redundant main engine controllers on two of the three engines shut down. The redundant controllers on those two engines -- the center and right main engines -- functioned normally, allowing the engines to fully support Columbia^Òs climb to orbit. The left engine was unaffected. Main engine controllers receive commands from the shuttle^Òs general purpose computers, and send commands to main engine components. Flight controllers and the crew continue to work to identify more precisely the cause of the voltage drop. Less than nine minutes after liftoff, the first female shuttle commander and her crew were in orbit, ready to begin a full night of work to prepare Chandra for its deployment as the third of NASA^Òs Great Observatories. It will study the invisible, and often violent mysteries of x-ray astronomy. After the astronauts open their cargo bay doors, they will conduct health checks on the Chandra telescope and its two-stage solid-fuel Inertial Upper Stage booster. If all goes as planned, the astronauts will send commands later this morning to elevate the 56-foot long spacecraft to its deployment position behind Columbia^Òs crew cabin. After a critical ^Ógo-no go^Ô decision by flight controllers in Houston and at the Chandra Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Mass., cables routing electrical power to Chandra from Columbia will be disconnected; Chandra will be on internal battery power until its solar arrays are deployed. The schedule calls for Coleman and Tognini to command Chandra to be spring-ejected from its cradle at 6:48 a.m. Central time. Collins and Ashby then will maneuver Columbia to a ^Ówindow protection^Ô orientation with the belly of the shuttle pointed toward the Inertial Upper Stage booster nozzle. One hour after deployment, with Columbia about 30 nautical miles behind Chandra, the telescope^Òs booster is scheduled to ignite in two stages, sending Chandra to its preliminary elliptical orbit. The telescope eventually will reach an oval orbit one-third of the distance to the Moon to conduct its astronomical observations. Chandra^Òs solar arrays are to unfurl just prior to the separation of the Inertial Upper Stage^Òs second stage, at which point telescope controllers in Massachusetts will begin several weeks of activation procedures before Chandra officially begins its astronomical investigations. Columbia^Òs astronauts are in excellent shape, with the shuttle currently orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 178 by 175 miles. The next STS-93 status report will be issued about 9:30 a.m. Central time after Chandra^Òs Inertial Upper Stage has been jettisoned to complete its work. On Friday, July 23, 1999, 9:30 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #2 reports: The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is flying free of the Shuttle Columbia following a textbook deployment earlier this morning and the successfully firing of its Inertial Upper Stage booster to place the new telescope on course for an orbit which will take it almost one-third of the way to the moon for its astronomical investigations. A little more than seven hours after Columbia and its five astronauts were launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Chandra was spring-ejected from a cradle in the shuttle^Òs cargo bay at 6:47 a.m. Central time, as Columbia flew over the Indonesian Island chain. Commander Eileen Collins, the first female Shuttle Commander, maneuvered Columbia to a safe distance away from the telescope as an internal timer counted down to the first of a two-phase ignition of the solid-fuel Inertial Upper Stage. The IUS lit up as scheduled at 7:47 a.m., and a few minutes later, shut down as planned, sending Chandra on a highly elliptical orbit which will be refined over the next few weeks by a series of firings of telescope thrusters, designed to place Chandra in an orbit about 6900 x 87,000 statute miles above the Earth. After the IUS^Ò second stage shut down, Chandra^Òs solar arrays deployed at 8:22 a.m. on command from telescope controllers at the Chandra Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who will oversee the activation of the observatory^Òs systems and its scientific activities. The IUS then separated from Chandra at 8:49 a.m. CDT, establishing it with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory as the third in a series of four astronomical instruments designed by NASA to paint a comprehensive portrait of the unknown mysteries of the universe. With Chandra safely on its way and the major objective of their mission successfully completed, the astronauts will end their long day and begin an eight-hour sleep period at 10:31 a.m. Central time. They^Òll be awakened at 6:31 tonight to begin their second day in orbit, a day devoted to secondary experiments in the shuttle^Òs middeck area. Columbia is flying smoothly on in an orbit 187 x 176 miles above the Earth, circling the planet every 90 minutes with its systems operating in excellent shape. The next STS-93 status report will be issued at approximately 9:30 a.m. Central time this morning after Chandra^Òs Inertial Upper Stage has been jettisoned to complete its work. STS-93 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Saturday, July 24, 1999, 6:30 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #3 reports: Following deployment from Columbia^Òs payload bay early this morning, checkouts of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory continue with telescope managers reporting that activation and operation are going well. Chandra was deployed from Columbia a little more than seven hours into the flight at 6:47 a.m. CDT. Thanks to a pair of burns by its inertial upper stage (IUS), the third of NASA^Òs four great observatories is now on its way to an elliptical orbit that will support five years of observations into the X-ray mysteries of the universe. "We were extremely confident in the IUS system in placing Chandra in it's orbit," said NASA IUS Mission Director Representative Rob Kelso. "In addition, this mission culminated in more than three years of training for the IUS flight team at the USAF Onizuka Air Station. We couldn't be more pleased with the success of the IUS and being able to start this important observatory on it's way." Following an eight hour sleep period, Columbia^Òs five member crew -- Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini of the French Space Agency (CNES) -- were awakened at 6:31 p.m. CDT to begin their second day in space. The main focus of the crew^Òs Flight Day 2 activities will be in activating the secondary payloads and experiments being carried on the flight. Among those efforts will be the set up and first observations using the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS) that operates from inside the shuttle cabin. SWUIS is used to image planets and other solar system bodies in order to explore their atmospheres and surfaces in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum, which astronomers value for its diagnostic power. SWUIS, making its second flight on STS-93, will obtain ultraviolet imagery of an array of planetary and astrophysical targets. The specific targets that SWUIS will observe include Earth^Òs moon, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. At 4:36 a.m. CDT Saturday morning, Collins and Coleman will take a break to do interviews with network reporters from CBS ^ÓSaturday Morning,^Ô the Fox News Network, the NBC ^ÓSaturday Today Show^Ô and Cable News Network (CNN). Columbia is flying smoothly on in an orbit 187 x 176 miles above the Earth, circling the planet every 90 minutes with its systems operating in excellent shape. The next STS-93 status report will be issued at approximately 6 a.m. CDT Saturday. On Saturday, July 24, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #4 reports: With the major objective of their mission successfully completed, Columbia^Òs astronauts spent a busy night conducting a variety of secondary experiments on both the flight deck and the middeck of the Shuttle. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini worked on experiments involving everything from astronomy to biomedicine to plant growth as the shuttle continued to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes in excellent shape. Hawley, the resident astronomer on board, used the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, or SWUIS instrument, to collect imagery of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and the moon in this, its second flight into space. Hawley reported that he could not see a new comet called Lynn, but that the SWUIS may have captured imagery of the comet for investigators on the ground. The telescopic instrument is mounted on the side hatch window in the shuttle^Òs middeck. Coleman monitored several plant growth experiments while Tognini collected data from a biological cell culture experiment. The two astronauts collaborated on the smooth deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory yesterday. Chandra is currently orbiting the Earth in a highly elliptical orbit of about 200 statute miles by 44,000 statute miles, thanks to the successful firing of its two-stage Inertial Upper Stage booster an hour after it was spring-ejected from Columbia^Òs cargo bay cradle. The first of five scheduled firings of Chandra^Òs thrusters to refine its orbit is planned for 8:16 p.m. Central time tonight, a five-minute firing of the telescope^Òs liquid-fuel propulsion system. That maneuver should leave Chandra in an orbit of about 774 statute miles by 44,600 miles. Four additional maneuvers are expected over the next two weeks. Collins and Ashby fired Columbia^Òs large orbital maneuvering system engines and primary reaction control system jets on several occasions to provide data for researchers in a pair of experiments designed to characterize jet thruster plumes in the space environment. They also conducted a successful test of a procedure called the ^Óflycast^Ô maneuver in a rehearsal for the STS-99 mission in September, in which a 200-foot mast will be deployed from the cargo bay of the shuttle Endeavour equipped with a sophisticated radar system to study Earth^Òs topographical features. The maneuver uses multiple thruster firings and the shuttle^Òs autopilot system to maintain stability. The procedure will be crucial for the September mission to minimize disturbances to the radar mast. Coleman also conducted several tests of High Definition Television equipment carried on board Columbia. HDTV gear is being tested for future use on both the shuttle and the International Space Station to conform to evolving broadcasting industry standards for television products. The astronauts are scheduled to begin an eight-hour sleep period at 9:31 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 5:31 this afternoon to begin their third day in space. Columbia is currently orbiting at an altitude of 177 statute miles. The next STS-93 status report will be issued early this evening after crew wake up or as developments warrant. STS-93 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Saturday, July 24, 1999, 5:45 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #5 reports: With all shuttle and experiment systems operating in fine fashion, the five member STS-93 crew aboard Columbia will be busy again this evening with a variety of secondary experiments. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini were awakened at 5:31 p.m. CDT with the song ^ÓBrave New Girls," performed by Teresa. Hawley, the resident astronomer of the STS-93 crew, will continue his work with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, or SWUIS instrument, to collect imagery of targets associated with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon. Although small, the sensitive SWUIS system has unique attributes that make it a valuable complement to more expensive space observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Among these attributes are SWUIS's unusually wide field of view (up to 30 times Hubble's) and its ability to observe objects much closer to the Sun than most space observatories. This latter capability allows SWUIS to explore the inner solar system -- something few other instruments can do. Collins and Ashby will be responsible for maneuvering Columbia in support of various experiments including observations made with the SWUIS telescope or the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), which uses sophisticated sensors to collect ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light data of firings of the shuttle^Òs orbital maneuvering system engines or primary reaction control system jets. Collins also will conduct a conversation with students at the Harbor View Elementary School in Corona Del Mar, California using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) system. She also will check experiments associated with the Cell Culture Module (CCM) and the Biological Research In Canister (BRIC) payloads. At 4:36 a.m. CDT on Sunday, Collins and Coleman will conduct an interview with CBS Radio Network. Coleman also will be interviewed by Donna Shirley, former mission manager for the Mars Pathfinder Project, in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts^Ò Mars Millenium Project. Coleman will work with the Plant Growth Investigations in Micro-Gravity (PGIM) and the Lightweight Flexible Solar Array Hinge (LFSAH) experiments, and document on-orbit operations with High Definition Television (HDTV) equipment. Ashby will tend to various orbiter systems and check the Space Tissue Loss (STL) experiment. STL is a payload designed to validate models of bone and muscle loss induced by the weightless environment of space. Tognini will use the SAREX system to conduct a ham radio conversation with fellow French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere who is currently flying aboard the Russian Mir Space Station. That communication opportunity is planned for early Sunday morning at 12:33 a.m. CDT. He'll also help check the BRIC and LFSAH experiments, and work with experiments in the Commercial Generic Bio-Processing Apparatus (CGBA). While the STS-93 crew presses on with the remainder of its flight, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory team at the Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Mass., is preparing for the first burn of Chandra's Integral Propulsion System. The firing is scheduled for about 8:11 p.m. CDT on Saturday, July 24. Two of Chandra's four Liquid Apogee Engines will burn for approximately five minutes. Tonight's burn will be the first of four apogee burns that will result in an increase to Chandra's perigee. Later in the mission, there will be one perigee burn to increase the spacecraft's apogee. There are four engines, two primary and two redundant. Each engine has 105-pounds of thrust and uses hydrazine as fuel with nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer. Following the first Integral Propulsion System burn, the new perigee is expected to be 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) and the new apogee is expected to be 45,014 miles (72,023 kilometers). Chandra's new orbit duration will be 24 hours, 38 minutes, slightly longer than its current orbit of 24 hours, 17 minutes. Columbia is orbiting at an altitude of 158 x 148 nautical miles circling the Earth once every 90 minutes. The next STS-93 status report will be issued about 6 a.m. CDT Sunday. On Sunday, July 25, 1999, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #6 reports: Columbia^Òs astronauts wrapped up their third day in space early Sunday, completing another round of work with a variety of secondary experiments as their primary payload, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, successfully passed another key milestone in its early days in orbit. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini conducted experiments ranging from astronomical observations with an ultraviolet telescope to cell culture studies. Investigations also included testing new materials which may one day be used to fabricate sturdier solar arrays. Hawley collected additional data for investigators from the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS), which he trained on the moon and Venus. Tognini and Coleman, meanwhile, monitored the operation of bioprocessing hardware collecting data from a number of biological and biomedical experiments. Tognini and Coleman reported that a series of hinges constructed from new lightweight materials unfurled successfully in a demonstration of technology expected to be applied to the development of solar panels for future spacecraft. Last night, at 8:16 p.m., controllers at the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reported a successful firing of the telescope^Òs liquid-fuel thrusters, the first of five such firings which will ultimately place Chandra in its proper scientific orbit. News of the successful maneuver was relayed to the astronauts by flight controllers in Mission Control. All of Chandra^Òs systems are functioning normally. Midway through the astronauts^Ò workday, Tognini and Collins took time out to talk with the three cosmonauts aboard the Russian Space Station Mir in a ham radio hookup. Travelling some 7,700 miles apart, French astronaut Tognini offered greetings to his fellow countryman, Jean-Pierre Haignere, a European Space Agency astronaut who is in the homestretch of a six-month scientific research mission aboard Mir. Haignere, Commander Viktor Afanasayev and Flight Engineer Sergei Avdeyev are scheduled to land in their Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan on August 28. Collins reported to flight controllers late last night that a circuit breaker associated with an electrical bus on the Shuttle had popped open during a transient short seconds after launch. Although Columbia^Òs climb to orbit was unaffected by the short circuit, the breakers will be analyzed postflight to determine the exact cause of the problem. Collins and Ashby also continued to provide investigators with data for a pair of experiments involving the study of exhaust vapors from the engines of space vehicles by firing reaction control system and orbital maneuvering system engines several times as Columbia passed over worldwide tracking network stations. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 8:31 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 4:31 this afternoon to begin their fourth day in space. Columbia is flying smoothly, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 182 statute miles. The next STS-93 status report will be issued late this afternoon following crew wake up, or as developments warrant. STS-93 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Sunday, July 25, 1999, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #7 reports: The five astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia began their fourth flight day at 4:31 p.m. CDT, preparing to make additional celestial observations through the shuttle's windows and continue work with a variety of experiments. The day started off with a wake-up call sent up in honor of Pilot Jeff Ashby. It was a song called "Some Day Soon," written by Judy Collins and performed by Suzy Boguss. The first job for Ashby and Mission Specialists Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini was to set up an exercise treadmill and the Treadmill Vibration Information System (TVIS) which will measure vibrations and changes in microgravity levels caused by on-orbit workouts. These workouts are needed to maintain astronauts' cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone, which can suffer in the absence of gravity. Each crewmember was scheduled to take a turn on the treadmill before it is put away at the end of the day. Astronomer Hawley once again is scheduled to make observations of Jupiter, Venus and the Moon with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS) as Commander Eileen Collins and Ashby put the shuttle in the proper orientation for his observations. Tognini and Mission Specialist Cady Coleman will check on the bioprocessing experiments, and harvest mouse-ear cress plants as part of the Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity experiment. These genetically engineered plants are expected to yield clues to the sensitive mechanisms the plants use to monitor their environment and help scientists develop plants that respond better to the stresses of space flight. Collins and Ashby will fire the shuttle's engines so that the sophisticated sensors of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite will be able to collect ultraviolet, infrared and visible light data on the firing. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in 1996. The commander and pilot also will practice landings on a laptop computer, simulation software and joystick combination called the Portable In-Flight Landing Operations Trainer (PILOT). Meanwhile, Mission Operations' Wayne Hale reported that engineers on the ground continue to evaluate the short in one of the shuttle^Òs electrical systems, which occurred shortly after launch as well as the slightly reduced performance of the main engines. Neither problem poses any risk to the remainder of the mission, Hale said. Hale said the crew's discovery that a circuit breaker had popped during the climb to orbit provides reassurance that the problem has been isolated and will not affect any of the shuttle's other electrical systems used for reentry and landing. He also said that the right engine's reduced performance may have been due to a small hydrogen leak in tubes that help cool the nozzle. While it won't be confirmed until the shuttle returns to Earth, Hale said the evidence pointing to the leak includes a slightly higher than normal temperature in that engine, and launch photos showing a white streak that could be escaping hydrogen. At this point, Columbia is flying smoothly, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 182 statute miles. On Sunday, July 26, 1999, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #8 reports: Columbia's astronauts entered the homestretch of their mission this morning, conducting additional experiments in the Shuttle's middeck area as they began preparations for their scheduled return to Earth late Tuesday night. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini completed work with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, a telescopic instrument mounted on the side hatch window in the middeck which has collected ultraviolet data on the moon, Jupiter and Venus. Additional work was conducted with several experiments studying the reaction of biological samples and plant growth to the absence of gravity. Collins and Ashby fired Columbia's orbital maneuvering system engines and its reaction control system jets several times to provide more data for a pair of experiments examining how engine exhaust disturbs the molecules in the ionosphere in low Earth orbit. Ashby, Hawley and Tognini took turns on a special treadmill set up in the middeck which was equipped with accelerometers and sensors to measure how well the device can offset vibrations induced by crew exercise. Engineering data from the treadmill may be used by technicians in the development of exercise equipment for the International Space Station designed to minimize disturbances to delicate microgravity experiments. Tognini and Collins took time out to field questions from French Space Agency officials and students in Toulouse, France near the end of the crew's work day and Collins was joined by Ashby to discuss the progress of the mission with U.S. television networks and local television affiliates in upstate New York. With all of Columbia's systems functioning in excellent shape, NASA managers will be discussing landing opportunities and weather forecasts for Florida in advance of the astronauts' final full day in orbit. Current forecasts call for mostly clear skies and a possibility of thundershowers near the 3-mile long landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center for Columbia's planned touchdown tomorrow night at 10:20 p.m. Central time. A backup landing opportunity is available at the Florida spaceport 90 minutes later. The five crew members will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:31 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 3:31 p.m. to begin their fifth day in space. Collins and Ashby will check out Columbia's flight control surfaces and fire the ship's reaction control system jets tonight in the routine pre-landing checkouts conducted the day before every shuttle landing, insuring that the orbiter is in good shape to support the vehicle's high-speed return to Earth. Columbia is orbiting at an altitude of 182 statute miles with all of its systems in excellent condition. The next STS-93 status report will be issued late this afternoon following crew wake up, or as developments warrant. STS-93 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Monday, July 26, 1999, 10:30 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #9 reports: Columbia's crew began packing up experiments today and preparing to return to Earth tomorrow with a touchdown planned on the Kennedy Space Center's shuttle runway in Florida at 10:20 p.m. CDT. Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jeff Ashby checked out the shuttle's cockpit instruments, displays and flight control systems this evening as part of the preparations for landing. They also test-fired Columbia's 38 small steering jets, finding everything in good shape and ready for the trip back to Earth. Also today, Collins and Ashby were joined by the rest of the crew -- Mission Specialists Steve Hawley, Cady Coleman and Michel Tognini -- for a press conference, fielding questions from reporters in Houston, Florida and Massachusetts. All activities are focused on a landing at KSC tomorrow, the shuttle's primary landing site, and flight controllers do not plan to consider any landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Tuesday. Two opportunities are available for a landing in Florida tomorrow, beginning on Columbia's 79th orbit of Earth with an engine firing at 9:19 p.m. CDT leading to a touchdown at 10:20 p.m. If Columbia lands on the first opportunity, its course toward Florida will take it above much of south central Texas and southern Louisiana and the shuttle may be easily visible to observers on the ground in those areas. The second opportunity is on the next orbit of Earth, starting with an engine firing at 10:54 p.m. leading to touchdown at 11:55 p.m. Columbia's course toward Florida on the second opportunity would take it above southern Texas and the Louisiana coast as it closes in on the Florida peninsula. The crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 6:31 a.m. CDT and awaken at 2:31 p.m. Tuesday. Columbia is orbiting at an altitude of 182 statute miles with all of its systems in excellent condition. The next STS-93 status report will be issued Tuesday morning or as developments warrant. On Tuesday, July 27, 1999, 6:30 a.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #10 reports: Columbia^Òs astronauts tested their ship^Òs systems and packed up their gear, ready for a nighttime homecoming late tonight at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up their five-day mission. With the Chandra X-Ray Observatory undergoing what so far has been a flawless checkout on orbit for future scientific investigations, Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jeff Ashby successfully exercised Columbia^Òs aerosurfaces and fired all of its steering jets late Monday night, confirming that the Shuttle is ready to support its high speed return to Earth. With all systems operating in good fashion, Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini stowed all of their hardware and deactivated secondary experiments in preparation for tonight^Òs landing opportunities at the Florida spaceport. The astronauts have two chances to land tonight, the first calling for a firing of the orbital maneuvering system engines in a braking maneuver at 9:19 p.m. Central time tonight. That will slow Columbia down by 250 feet per second, allowing it to drop out of orbit for its hour-long entry back to Earth. If all goes as planned, landing will occur on Runway 3-3 at the Kennedy Space Center at 10:20 p.m. Central Daylight time, after Collins executes an overhead right hand turn to align Columbia with the southeast to northwest approach to the 3-mile long landing strip. This will be the 12th night landing in Shuttle program history. If weather somehow prevents a landing on the first opportunity, a backup opportunity exists 90 minutes later. The alternate landing site at California^Òs Edwards Air Force Base will not be called up for landing support tonight. Additional opportunities for landing will be available on Wednesday at both landing sites if weather prevents Columbia from coming home tonight. The forecast, however, looks very favorable, with only a few clouds predicted near the Shuttle Landing Facility and a slight chance of a thundershower offshore at the time of touchdown. The astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 6:31 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 2:31 this afternoon to begin deorbit preparations. The first major task will be the closing of Columbia^Òs cargo bay doors at about 6:40 this evening, followed by the astronauts climbing into their launch and entry suits shortly before 8 p.m. Entry Flight Director John Shannon and his team of flight controllers will receive updated weather forecasts throughout the late afternoon and evening before a ^Ógo-no go^Ô decision for the deorbit burn is issued around 9 p.m. Assuming clear weather, the orbiter should be visible as it streaks across the night sky over Texas, Lousiana, and then Florida. In Houston, Columbia should appear in the northern sky at about 10:05 p.m. CDT before the 10:20 landing. If Columbia lands this evening, the astronauts are due back at Ellington Field in Houston around mid-morning on Wednesday. An exact time for crew arrival will be firmed up after landing. Columbia is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 179 statute miles with all systems operating normally. The next STS-93 status report will be issued this afternoon after crew wakeup, or as developments warrant. On Tuesday, July 27, 1999, 4:00 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Columbia^Òs astronauts made final preparations Tuesday evening to come home after a successful five-day flight. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini were awakened at 2:31 p.m. CDT Tuesday to "A Little Traveling Music" by Barry Manilow, requested by Hawley^Òs wife Eileen, and "The Air Force Song," played for Collins and Coleman. The first major task will be the closing of Columbia^Òs cargo bay doors at about 6:40 this evening, followed by the astronauts climbing into their launch and entry suits shortly before 8 p.m. The entry flight control team led by Flight Director John Shannon will receive updated weather forecasts throughout the late afternoon and evening before a "go-no go" decision for the deorbit burn is issued around 9 p.m. There are two opportunities to land Tuesday night. The first begins with a deorbit burn on orbit 79 at 9:19 p.m. with a landing at 10:20 p.m. at Kennedy Space Center Florida. Columbia^Òs orbital maneuvering engines will fire, slowing the 100-ton spacecraft by 250 feet per second, enough to drop it into the atmosphere halfway around the world. Columbia^Òs unpowered glide through the atmosphere will heat a plasma layer around the heat-protecting tiles and creating a brilliant streak across the night sky for many ground observers. The Orbiter will cross Baja California and northwest Mexico, bisect Texas from west to east and pass over southern Louisiana on its way to Florida. Weather permitting, ground observers will be able to see the entry path about 100 miles on each side of the track. Columbia will cross Texas between 10 and 10:05 p.m. and a few minutes later will overfly Louisiana. Present plans call for a right turn to line up with runway 33, a southeast to northwest ! landing. The second opportunity is one orbit later with an engine firing at 10:54 p.m. CDT and a landing at KSC at 11:55 p.m. The groundtrack is similar to the previous orbit^Òs entry path. Edwards Air Force Base will not be called up for support Tuesday night because of the good chances for landing at KSC. Flight controllers will be keeping an eye on the weather in Florida. The primary threat to ending Columbia^Òs mission at the Shuttle Landing Facility there is the possibility of thunderstorms within 30 miles, most likely to the west. Winds and cloud cover were not a concern leading up to the engine firing. If Columbia lands at Kennedy Space Center it will be the 12th night landing in the Shuttle program^Òs history. Five of those have been at Edwards Air Force Base in California and the rest have been at KSC. There have been 18 consecutive landings at KSC and 25 of the last 26 have been there. The last Edwards landing was in March 1996 with the STS-76 mission. Additional opportunities for landing will be available on Wednesday at both landing sites if weather prevents Columbia from coming home tonight. If Columbia lands this evening, the astronauts are due back at Ellington Field in Houston around mid-morning on Wednesday. An exact time for crew arrival will be firmed up after landing. Columbia is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 179 statute miles with all systems operating normally. The next STS-93 status report will be issued tonight after landing, or as developments warrant. On Tuesday, July 27, 1999, 11:00 p.m. CDT, STS-93 MCC Status Report #12 reports: Columbia's astronauts glided to a smooth landing tonight at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up their five-day mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Commander Eileen Collins flew Columbia to a textbook touchdown at 10:20 p.m. Central time on Runway 3-3 at the Cape's Shuttle's Landing Facility, swooping out of darkness to complete a mission spanning almost 1.8 million miles. Pilot Jeff Ashby, Flight Engineer Steve Hawley and Mission Specialist Cady Coleman joined Collins on the flight deck for entry and landing. Mission Specialist Michel Tognini of the French Space Agency was seated alone down in the middeck. It was the 19th consecutive Shuttle landing at the Florida spaceport and the 12th night landing in Shuttle program history. A few minutes earlier, Columbia provided a light show for residents in Houston as it sped overhead about 15 minutes before landing, visible in the nighttime skies as an orange streak headed for Florida. Columbia was at an altitude of about 200,000 feet at the time, travelling about 15 times the speed of sound. Left behind in orbit is the Chandra Observatory, which was released from Columbia's cargo bay last Friday morning. Telescope controllers at the Chandra Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts say the Observatory is in excellent shape in the first week of its checkout for scientific operations. The astronauts will be reunited with their families overnight Wednesday before holding a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center to discuss their flight. That news conference is scheduled at about 4:30 a.m. Central time and will be broadcast on NASA Television just prior to the astronauts' departure from KSC. The crew plans to return to Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center Wednesday morning at about 10:15 a.m. Central time, where the five astronauts are expected to be greeted by Vice-President Gore, JSC Director George W. S. Abbey and center employees. The crew return, which will occur at Hangar 276 at Ellington, will be broadcast live on NASA TV. It is open to the public. Further updates on crew return can be obtained by calling the JSC newsroom Wednesday morning after 8 a.m. Central time. Mission Name: STS-103 (96) Discovery (27) Pad 39-B (45) 96th Shuttle Mission 27th Flight OV-103 Night Launch (23) Night Landing (13) KSC Landing (49) KSC Night Landing (8) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Curtis L. Brown (6), Mission Commander Scott J. Kelly (1), Pilot Steven L. Smith (3), Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale (5), Mission Specialist John M. Grunsfeld (3), Mission Specialist Claude Nicollier (4), Mission Specialist (ESA) Jean-Francois Clervoy (3), Mission Specialist (ESA) Milestones: OPF -- 06/06/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/06/1999) VAB -- 11/04/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/05/1999) PAD -- 11/13/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/09/1999) Payload: Hubble Servicing Mission 3 (SM3A) Mission Objectives: The primary objective of STS-103 is the servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-103 has four scheduled Extravehicular Activity (EVA) days where four crew members will work in pairs on alternating days to renew and refurbish the telescope. NASA officials decided to move up part of the servicing mission that had been scheduled for June 2000 after three of the telescope's six gyroscopes failed. Three gyroscopes must be working to meet the telescope's very precise pointing requirements, and the telescope's flight rules dictated that NASA consider a "call-up" mission before a fourth gyroscope failed. Four new gyros were installed during the first servicing mission (STS-61) in December of 1993 and all six gyros were working during the second servicing mission (STS-82) in February 1997. Since then, a gyro failed in 1997, another in 1998 and a third in 1999. The Hubble team believes they understand the cause of the failures, although they cannot be certain until the gyros are returned from space. Having fewer than three working gyroscopes would preclude science observations, although the telescope would remain safely in orbit until a servicing crew arrived. In addition to replacing all six gyroscopes on the December flight, the crew will replace a guidance sensor, the spacecraft's computer and install a voltage/temperature kit for the spacecraft's batteries. A new transmitter, solid state recorder and thermal insulation blankets will also be installed. Hubble's gyros spin at a constant rate of 19,200 rpm on gas bearings. This wheel is mounted in a sealed cylinder, which floats in a thick fluid. Electricity is carried to the motor by thin wires (approximately the size of a human hair). It is believed that oxygen in the pressurized air used during the assembly process caused the wires to corrode and break. The new gyros were assembled using nitrogen instead of oxygen. Each gyroscope is packaged in a Rate Sensor assembly. The Rate Sensors are packaged in pairs into an assembly called a Rate Sensor Unit (RSU's). It is the RSU's that the STS-103's astronauts will be changing. The RSU's each weigh 24.3 pounds and are 12.8 by 10.5 by 8.9 inches in size. In addition to replacing all six gyroscopes on the December flight, the crew will replace a Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and the spacecraft's computer. The new computer will reduce the burden of flight software maintenance and significantly lower costs. The new computer is 20 times faster and has six times the memory of the current DF-224 computer used on Hubble. It weighs 70.5 pounds and is 18.8 by 18 by 13 inches in size. The FGS being installed is a refurbished unit that was returned from Servicing Mission 2. It weighs 478 pounds and is 5.5 by 4 by 2 feet in size. A Voltage/temperature Improvement Kit (VIK) will be also be installed to protect spacecraft batteries from overcharging and overheating when the spacecraft goes into safe mode. The VIK modifies the charge cuttoff voltage to a lower level to prevent battery overcharging and associated overheating. The VIK weighs about 3 pounds. The repair mission will also install a new S-Band Single Access Transmitter (SSAT). Hubble has two identical SSATs onboard and can operate with only one. The SSATs send data from Hubble thru NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) to the ground. The new transmitter will replace one that failed in 1998. The SSAT weighs 8.5 pounds and is 14 by 8 by 2 and 3/4 inches. A spare solid state recorder will also be installed to allow efficient handling of high-volume data. Prior to the second servicing mission, Hubble used three 1970's style reel-to-reel tape recorders. During the second servicing mission one of these mechanical recorders was replaced with a digital solid state recorder. During this mission a second mechanical recorder will be replaced by a second Solid State Recorder. The new recorder can hold approximately 10 times as much data as the old unit (12 gigabytes instead of 1.2 gigabytes). The recorder weighs 25 pounds and is 12 by 9 by 7 inches in size. Finally, the EVA crew will replace the telescopes outer insulation that has degraded. The insulation is necessary to control the internal temperature on the Hubble. The New Outer Blanket Layer (NOBL) and Shell/Shield Replacement Fabric (SSRF) will help protect Hubble from the harsh environment of space. It protects the telescope from the severe and rapid temperature changes it experiences during each 90 minute orbit as it moves from sunlight to darkness. STS-103 will also carry hundreds of thousands of student signatures as part of the Student Signatures in Space (S3) program. The unique project provides elementary schools (selected on a rotating basis) with special posters to be autographed by students, then scanned onto disks and carried aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission. Launch: Launched December 19, 1999 7:50:00.069 p.m. EST Discovery launched on time at the beginning of the 42 minute window from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-103, the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. At 6:10 pm, the go was given to the closeout crew to close out the white room at Launch Pad 39-B. On December 19, 1999, shuttle managers decided to proceed with the STS-103 launch countdown and loading Discovery's external tank. The tanking activity began at 10:30 a.m. today and took 3 hours to complete. Due to the prediction of poor weather on Saturday, the the mission management team decided to preserve a launch option for Sunday and rescheduled Discovery's launch from December 18 at 8:47 p.m. to December 19 at 7:50pm EST. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/18/1999) External tank cyrogenic loading was started at 11:29 a.m. EST. By T-minus 3 hours 21 minutes and counting the LH2 tank (2:35 pm EST) was full and in stable replenish mode with 385,265 gallons of LH2. Tanking operations were complete at 3:00pm EST. The Liquid Oxygen (LOX) tank was finishing with its load of 143,350 gal of LOX. The weather forcast is currently 80% chance of unfavorable weather. The crew had breakfast in the O&C crew quarters and suited up at 4:41 pm EST and departed for the launch pad. By 6:10pm EST all crew members were seated in the orbiter and voice checks began. By 6:48pm the hatch was closed and locked for flight. At 7:45pm EST the countdown clock came out of the planned hold at the T-minus 20 minute mark. The launch countdown proceeded to the T-minus 9 minute mark and held due to weather constraints. At 8:52pm EST the launch director scrubbed the launch due to violations of weather launch commit criteria. The launch was scheduled for Thursday, December 16, 1999 but was delayed 24 hours to check quality control inspection paperwork. On Tuesday, December 15, 1999, during a routine manufacturing inspection of gaseous pressurization lines, a weld made with an improper welding rod was detected. Due to a concern that such an improper weld may have been used, welds and paperwork on STS-103's external tank were reviewed and cleared. The same manufacturer also performed welds on the 17 inch propellant feed lines and struts in the AFT engine compartment when Discovery was constructed. The 24 hour delay was called to give the shuttle team time to review the manufacturing inspection records for those lines as well. (Reference STS-103 Press Conference 12/16/99) On Tuesday, December 14, 1999, The launch countdown for STS-103 began on schedule today at 1:30 a.m. Yesterday, workers completed aft compartment close-outs and Discovery's aft confidence test concluded last night. Current weather forecasts call for scattered to broken clouds at 3,000 feet and scattered clouds at 25,000 feet; visibility of 7 miles; winds from the north at 12 peaking to 20 knots; temperature at 52 degrees F; relative humidity at 69 percent; and no chance of showers. Weather officials indicate an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch attempts on Thursday or Friday. By Saturday, the forecast declines to a 70 percent chance of favorable weather. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/14/1999) By Monday, December 13, 1999, workers at Launch Pad 39B had completed inspections and leak checks on Shuttle Discovery's replaced liquid hydrogen recirculation line that was replaced over the weekend. Engine compartment close-outs started Sunday and are expected to conclude later today. Launch managers at KSC plan to begin the 43-hour countdown Tuesday at 1:30 a.m. EST. Weather forecasts indicate an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for Thursday's launch attempt at 9:18 p.m. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/13/1999) On Wednesday, December 8, 1999, Shuttle managers have decided to delay the start of the STS-103 launch countdown by at least 24 hours while engineers evaluate a dented main propulsion system hydrogen line found during closeout inspections of Discovery's engine compartment. A final decision on whether or not the line must be replaced is expected tomorrow. If the line requires replacement, it is anticipated that the work would postpone launch by a minimum of several days. The four-inch diameter line carries liquid hydrogen fuel for the Space Shuttle main engines. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/08/1999) On Monday, December 6, 1999, the crew of STS-103 arrived at KSC in preparation for launch. On Wednesday, December 1, 1999, Space Shuttle managers today completed a review of Shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight on mission STS-103. They maintained a launch date of Dec. 9 for Discovery, although a further review of work remaining to close-out Discovery for flight will be held later this week. The launch date may be adjusted slightly pending the status of remaining work that is reported at that time. At the launch pad, workers completed replacement of Discovery's mass memory unit No. 1. Close-out work on the recently repaired orbiter/external tank umbilical wiring harness continues as engineers conduct validation tests on that system. Tonight, workers are slated to begin Shuttle ordnance installation and replacement of a leaky quick disconnect on auxiliary power unit No. 2 is planned for later this week. Routine orbiter aft compartment close-outs continue along with wiring inspections. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/01/1999) On Sunday, November 15, 1999, The seven-member flight crew arrived at KSC and will participate in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities through Wednesday. The launch day dress rehearsal concludes Wednesday at 11 a.m. with a simulated main engine cutoff. Shuttle managers will convene the STS-103 Flight Readiness Review on Friday, Nov. 19 to discuss the overall readiness of all Space Shuttle systems for flight. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/15/1999) On Saturday, November 13, 1999, Space Shuttle Discovery rolled out to Launch Pad 39B. First motion began at 7:27 a.m and the Shuttle was hard down at the pad by 2:17 p.m. Discovery had been scheduled to begin its transfer to the pad at 2 a.m., but inspections of minor external tank foam damage delayed the departure. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/15/1999) On Tuesday, November 9, 1999, Workers have already removed the damaged range safety cable and replacement efforts begin later today. Engineers plan to retest the range safety system Wednesday and close-out the work area Thursday. The damaged range safety cable relays a redundant emergency destruction signal between the solid rocket boosters (SRB) in the unlikely event of a contingency. The cable being replaced runs from the right-hand SRB forward attach point, through the external tank and connects to the left-hand booster. The cable was damaged during close-out operations causing yesterday's test failure. Since the orbiter will remain in the VAB for cable replacement, Shuttle managers have decided to replace Discovery's main engine No. 3 in the VAB as well. Engine replacement efforts are in work and will conclude Thursday. Engine close-outs and verifications will be performed at the pad. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/09/1999) On Friday, November 5, 1999, Orbiter Discovery has been mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters stack in VAB high bay 1. Electrical and mechanical connections will conclude late Friday and the orbiter/external tank umbilical mate occurs Saturday. Over the weekend, workers will begin preparations for the engine No. 3 replacement work scheduled to happen at the launch pad. Managers currently plan to transfer Discovery out to Launch Pad 39B Tuesday, Nov. 9 beginning at about 2 a.m. Payload managers plan to transfer the Hubble Servicing Mission cargo to the launch pad Monday, Nov. 8 with installation into the orbiter slated for Nov. 12. KSC managers are developing the remainder of Discovery's prelaunch processing schedule and expect to brief Shuttle program managers at a meeting Monday morning. Program managers are likely to set a new target launch date for STS-103 after the meeting. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/05/1999) On Friday, October 29, 1999 Shuttle managers will resume discussions on Monday at 1 p.m. to determine Discovery's readiness to leave the Orbiter Process Facility. The orbiter's planned transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building will now occur no earlier than Monday evening. The postponement accommodates unplanned work to repair a temperature sensor on Discovery's No. 2 nitrogen tank, in the orbiter's midbody. Retests of Discovery's repaired and protected wiring are ongoing and will continue through the vertical processing flow. Several standard prelaunch tests will accommodate necessary functional and redundancy checks of the wiring. Once the orbiter, external tank and booster mating operations are complete, Space Shuttle Discovery will roll out to Launch Pad 39B. Rollout to the pad is currently slated for Sunday, Nov. 7. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/29/1999) On Thursday, October 7, 1999, with wiring inspections and repairs of Discovery and Endeavour nearing completion and similar work beginning on Atlantis, Shuttle program managers set new planning target launch dates for the next three Space Shuttle missions. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/7/1999) On Thursday, September 30, 1999, Inspections of the wiring onboard orbiter Discovery are about 95 percent complete, and Shuttle managers expect all remaining wire inspections to conclude next week. During retests of Discovery's recently replaced right-hand orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) engine pod, technicians noted an oxidizer isolation valve that did not cycle properly. Subsequent valve inspections revealed minor corrosion of a manifold No. 5 oxidizer valve, and managers have decided to replace that valve before the STS-103 flight. As a precaution, technicians will conduct thorough inspections of all manifold No. 5 oxidizer and fuel valves located in both OMS pods and the orbiter's forward reaction control system. Inspection of these six valves will be performed in parallel with ongoing orbiter processing and is not expected to further impact the schedule. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/301999) On Thursday, August 12, 1999 Technicians completed testing of Discovery's power reaction and storage distribution system. Shuttle main engine securing efforts and payload premate testing continue. Later this week, workers will install the orbiter's waste collection system and install the external airlock hatch. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/12/1999) Orbit: Altitude: 317nm Inclination: 28.45 Orbits: 119 Duration: 7 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes 34 seconds Distance: 3.25 million miles Hardware: SRB: SRM: ET : MLP : 2 SSME-1: SN- SSME-2: SN- SSME-3: SN- Landing: December 27, 1999 KSC 7:01:34 pm EST. Runway 33. Main Wheel Touchdown (MET 7 Days 23 H 10 M 47 S) (7:00:47) Nose Wheel Touchdown (MET 7 Days 23 H 10 M 58 S) (7:00:58) Wheels Stop (MET 7 Days 23 H 11 M 34 S) (7:01:34) At 5:20pm EST, Discovery was given a go for the deorbit burn. Sonic booms heard at 26 miles from runway with Discovery at 26,000ft. The first landing opportunity at KSC at 5:18pm EST was waived off due to high crosswinds at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The 3rd landing opportunity on 12/27/99 for KSC would have been at 8:43pm EST. Mission Highlights: STS-103 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Sunday, December 19, 1999, 8:00 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #01 reports: In the final launch attempt available this year, Discovery and its seven astronauts blasted off tonight on the last human space flight of the 20th century to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope. Under clear and starry skies at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery lifted off on time at 6:50 p.m. Central time, lighting up the Central Florida coastline, to send Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Scott Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steve Smith, Jean-Francois Clervoy, John Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude Nicollier on a two-day chase to catch up to and retrieve the 12 and a half ton telescope. Hubble was sailing over Eastern Africa at the time of launch. Eight and a half minutes after the third and final shuttle launch of the year, Discovery was in orbit as its crew members began to configure shuttle systems for the planned 8-day mission. One rendezvous burn of the reaction control system jets is planned before the crew goes to sleep early Monday to fine tune Discovery's path to catch up to Hubble. Technically, Hubble has been in hibernation since the loss of a fourth gyroscope on November 13 designed to enable the telescope to point precisely at distant astronomical targets for scientific observations. Hubble is in what is known as "safe mode", a state of dormancy in which the telescope aims itself constantly at the sun to provide electrical power to its systems. Hubble is scheduled to be captured by Discovery's robot arm around 6:40 p.m. Central time Tuesday. Once the crew retrieves Hubble, it will be parked at the rear of Discovery's cargo bay so that two teams of space-walking astronauts can perform repairs and upgrades to its systems during three nights of space walks. The most vital of the space walks will occur on Wednesday night, when Smith and Grunsfeld replace all six of Hubble's gyroscopes and install devices to improve voltage regulation to the telescope's systems. Only three space walks are planned because the mission was shortened. Smith and Grunsfeld will conduct the first and third space walks, while the second will be conducted by Foale and Nicollier. If all goes as planned, Hubble will be released back into orbit on Christmas Day around 5 p.m. Central time, with landing planned on Dec. 27 at 4:24 p.m.. Central time at the Kennedy Space Center. The astronauts are scheduled to begin an eight-hour sleep period at 1:50 a.m. Central time Monday and will be awakened at 9:50 a.m. Central time to begin their first full day in orbit. Discovery is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 300 nautical miles, completing one orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes. The next STS-103 mission status report will be issued shortly after crew wakeup Monday morning. STS-103 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Monday, December 20, 1999, 10:30 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #02 reports: Trailing the Hubble Space Telescope by about 3,700 nautical miles and closing, the seven Discovery astronauts were awakened at 9:50 a.m. CST today to the sounds of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Taking Care of Business." The wake-up call from Mission Control began the crew's first full day in orbit. Discovery is closing on the telescope at a rate of about 340 nautical miles with each hour and a half long orbit of Earth. Today will be a day of preparation for the crew, gearing up for the rendezvous and capture of HST planned for Tuesday and the three maintenance spacewalks that will follow later in the week. At about 1 p.m., European Space Agency astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy will power up Discovery's robotic arm to check its operation. Clervoy will survey Discovery's cargo bay using television cameras on the arm, checking the condition of the equipment planned for installation on the telescope and the cradle that will hold HST during the spacewalks. While Clervoy operates the arm, Payload Commander Steve Smith and Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld will power up the payload bay HST support equipment. Later, around 6 p.m., Commander Curt Brown and Pilot Scott Kelly will check out the laptop computers, navigation aids and flight controls in Discovery's cockpit that will be used for tomorrow's encounter with HST. Meanwhile, on Discovery's middeck, Grunsfeld, along with European astronaut Claude Nicollier, will begin a check of the four spacesuits onboard. Early in the afternoon, about 1 p.m., the crew will lower the cabin pressure aboard Discovery as part of the spacewalk preparations. This reduces the amount of time the spacewalkers must breathe oxygen as part of a standard protocol to purge nitrogen from the body prior to beginning a spacewalk. At 8:35 p.m. CST, Brown, Smith, Clervoy and Mike Foale will take a break from their work to talk with CBS news and other television networks about their mission. As some of their final activities today, the crew will fire Discovery's large orbital maneuvering system engines at 10:32 p.m. to slow the rate at which the Shuttle is closing on HST. A second, smaller engine firing will follow at 11:27 p.m. to further fine tune the Shuttle's approach toward Hubble. Capture of the telescope remains scheduled for 6:41 p.m. Tuesday. Discovery is in excellent condition, orbiting Earth every 95 minutes, 27 seconds. The high point of Discovery's orbit is 363 statute miles and the low point is 298 statute miles. The next STS-103 mission status report will be issued at 11 p.m. Monday or as events warrant. On Monday, December 20, 1999, 11:30 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #03 reports: The seven members of the STS-103 crew of Discovery completed a day of preparation Monday for a Tuesday capture of the Hubble Space Telescope. During three days of space walks, Hubble's capability to conduct astronomical observations will be restored and some of its equipment upgraded. Discovery's robotic arm and the four space suits the astronauts will use on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday space walks, checked out with no major problems. As the crew prepared for its sleep period, Discovery was 1,100 statute miles behind Hubble, closing at a rate of 150 statute miles per orbit. Discovery's orbit had been adjusted by firing the two Orbital Maneuvering System engines, mounted in pods on either side of the spacecraft's vertical tail fin. That burn added 79 feet per second to the orbiter's speed. A subsequent firing of Discovery's smaller Reaction Control System jets further refined the orbit by changing Discovery's speed by about eight feet per second. The pressure in Discovery's cabin was lowered to 10.2 psi at about 1 p.m. Monday. This is part of the procedure to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the blood of space-walking astronauts. Later they will breathe pure oxygen. Those steps are designed to eliminate the possibility of nitrogen bubbles forming in their blood during spacewalks and causing an attack of the "bends," a condition that can affect deep-sea divers brought to the surface too quickly. A little after 8:30 p.m. CST, four members of the crew, Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Scott Kelly, and Mission Specialists Jean-Francois Clervoy and Mike Foale, participated in an on-orbit interview with three organizations: CBS News, the Hal Uplinger Millennium TV Network and ABS-PBS Millennium Broadcast. On Tuesday Discovery will approach the space telescope with a series of burns to match its orbit. The rendezvous' terminal initiation burn is to occur at about 4:30 p.m. when Discovery is about eight miles behind Hubble. Brown and Kelly will maneuver the orbiter to a point directly beneath Hubble, then move upward toward it. Clervoy, using the orbiter's robotic arm, will grapple Hubble about 6:40 p.m. and place it on the Flight Service System in the rear of Discovery's cargo bay. There, it can be rotated and tilted to enable space-walking astronauts to better access its equipment bays. Discovery is in an orbit with a high point of 367 statute miles and a low point of 352 miles. All systems are in excellent condition. The next STS-103 mission status report will be issued at 11 a.m. Tuesday. STS-103 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Tuesday, December 21, 1999, 10:00 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #04 reports: Discovery is on track for its rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope this afternoon, culminating in the planned capture of the 12.5-ton observatory at 6:41 p.m. CST. In recognition of today's activities, the seven astronauts aboard Discovery were awakened at 9:20 a.m. today to the song "Rendezvous" by Bruce Springsteen. While the crew slept, the Shuttle continued to close in on the Hubble Space Telescope at a rate of about 125 statute miles with each 90 minute long orbit of Earth. At the time the crew woke this morning, Discovery trailed the telescope by about 330 statute miles. The crew will fire the Shuttle's thrusters at 12:38 p.m. today to slightly raise Discovery's orbit and slow the closing rate on Hubble. Another engine firing will be conducted about 48 minutes later to further adjust the closing rate and aim Discovery to reach a point eight nautical miles behind the telescope -- the starting point for the final phase of the rendezvous -- about three hours later. Just before Discovery reaches that point, European astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy will power up the robotic arm and lift it to a position just above its latches along the left edge of the Shuttle cargo bay. At 4:28 p.m., Discovery will reach the starting point and fire its thrusters again to begin the final phase of rendezvous, putting the Shuttle on a course to directly intercept the telescope on the next orbit of Earth. As Discovery closes the final distance to Hubble, four small course correction engine firings will fine-tune the approach and Clervoy will raise the arm high above the payload bay, poised to latch onto the Hubble's grapple fixture. When Discovery reaches a point about half a mile away and directly beneath the telescope, Commander Curt Brown will take over manual control of the Shuttle. Brown, assisted by Pilot Scott Kelly, will gently maneuver the 110-ton Shuttle to within 35 feet of the orbiting observatory to allow Clervoy to capture it with the arm. After the arm has latched onto the telescope, Clervoy will lower it into a cradle in the aft cargo bay. Using controls in the aft cockpit of Discovery, Payload Commander Steve Smith will then latch the telescope in place, where it will remain for the next four days. Hubble is planned to be latched into the bay at about 7 p.m. Once the telescope has been secured in the payload bay, Clervoy will release the arm and use it to perform a television survey of the Hubble's exterior. The first of three planned Hubble maintenance spacewalks is planned to begin at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday. The next Mission Control Center status report will be issued at 11 p.m. central time or as events warrant. On Tuesday, December 21, 1999, 11:00 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #05 reports: After a 30-orbit chase, Discovery astronauts completed a successful rendezvous Tuesday evening with the Hubble Space Telescope, grappling it with the robotic arm and latching it into the orbiter's cargo bay. Controllers at Goddard Space Flight Center had placed the space telescope in an attitude with its closed aperture pointed toward Earth. Commander Curt Brown guided Discovery through an approach from below and fly-around. Then, Mission Specialist Jean-Francois Clervoy reached out with the shuttle's robotic arm to grip a grapple fixture on Hubble. The grapple was made at 6:34 p.m. Central time, one day, 23 hours and 44 minutes after Discovery's launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Clervoy used the arm to rotate the space telescope and bring its base into the cargo bay. Hubble, gleaming silver in its Mylar insulation flanked by golden-colored solar arrays, was firmly attached to the Flight Support System in Discovery's cargo by a little after 7:30 p.m. Hubble is as tall as a four-story building. With a maximum diameter of 14 feet, it is about the size of a railroad tank car. The Flight Support System is a U-shaped device with a circular platform between the arms now supporting the space telescope. The system provides power from Discovery to the telescope and can rotate and tilt it to facilitate access to its various compartments by space-walking astronauts. An initial, carefully choreographed survey using a camera at the end of the robotic arm was made. Camera surveys of Hubble's condition will continue during the crew's sleep period, scheduled to begin about 12:50 a.m. Wednesday. The first of three planned space walks to repair and upgrade Hubble equipment is scheduled to begin at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, though astronauts may get an early start. If they can get ahead of schedule, they may be able to perform some tasks that had been scheduled for the cancelled fourth spacewalk. On Wednesday, Mission Specialist and Payload Commander Steve Smith and Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld will first replace the telescope's three Rate Sensor Units. Each contains two gyroscopes. The second major task is installation of six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits between Hubble's solar panels and its six 10-year-old batteries. The cell telephone-sized kits are designed to prevent any overheating or overcharging of those batteries. Discovery's systems continue to function well as the astronauts wind up final preparations for Wednesday's space walks and prepare for sleep. The spacecraft was in an orbit with a high point of 380 statute miles and a low point of 355 miles. The next Mission Control Center status report will be issued at 11 a.m. Wednesday or as events warrant. STS-103 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Wedneday, December 22, 1999, 10:30 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #06 reports: With the Hubble Space Telescope securely latched in the payload bay, the astronauts aboard Discovery today will turn their attention to the primary objective of their flight -- restoring the capability of the 12.5-ton telescope to observe the universe. Astronauts Steve Smith and John Grunsfeld are scheduled to begin the first of three planned maintenance spacewalks today at about 1:40 p.m. The crew was awakened this morning to the song "Hucklebuck" performed by Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, a tune that the spacewalkers heard many times while training hundreds of hours for the mission in the 6.5-million gallon water tank at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Although not scheduled to begin until 1:40 p.m., Smith and Grunsfeld could begin the planned six-hour spacewalk earlier if they complete preparations ahead of schedule. Once outside Discovery's cabin, the first task they will perform will be to replace the telescope's three Rate Sensor Units, each of which contains two gyrsoscopes. Of the six gyroscopes currently installed in Hubble, four have failed. At least three operable gyroscopes are needed to point the telescope with the accuracy required to track its astronomical targets. After the rate sensor units have been installed, the two spacewalkers will then open valves on the telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer to purge nitrogen coolant from that instrument in preparation for its servicing on the next Shuttle maintenance mission. Next, they will install six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits for the Hubble's batteries that will increase the batteries' efficiency and reduce a potential for them to overcharge and overheat. If those tasks are completed and the spacewalkers have extra time, they may perform some additional small jobs such as installing handrail covers and inspecting brackets. While Smith and Grunsfeld are outside, inside the cabin European astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy will control Discovery's robotic arm, maneuvering the spacewalkers into position to work on the telescope. Discovery's other spacewalking team, astronaut Mike Foale and European astronaut Claude Nicollier, also will assist from inside the cabin. Foale and Nicollier are scheduled to perform the mission's second spacewalk tomorrow. Smith and Grunsfeld are planned to again venture outside on Friday for the flight's third and final spacewalk. Discovery remains in near-perfect condition with no mechanical problems of concern to flight controllers, as has been the case since its launch on Sunday. It is orbiting at an altitude of 380 by 365 statute miles. The next Mission Control Center status report will be issued at 10 p.m. or as events warrant. On Wedneday, December 22, 1999, 11:30 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #07 reports: Discovery astronauts completed the two highest priority tasks of their Hubble Space Telescope servicing Wednesday with a space walk that was the second longest in history. Astronauts Steve Smith and John Grunsfeld installed six new gyroscopes and six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits in the telescope during their 8 hour, 15 minute spacewalk. Working deliberately, Smith and Grunsfeld replaced three Rate Sensor Units, each containing two gyroscopes. Four of Hubble's gyroscopes had failed, making the telescope unable to point itself precisely enough to do science since Nov. 13. At least three operable gyroscopes are needed to point the telescope with the accuracy required to track its astronomical targets. The spacewalkers also installed Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits on wiring from Hubble's solar arrays to each of its six batteries. The kits are designed to improve control of the charging of the space telescope's 10-year-old batteries. With Hubble latched upright in the payload bay, Smith and Grunsfeld completed all major tasks scheduled for the first of three spacewalks on three consecutive days. A few minor objectives, including applying lubricant to the door of one of the telescope's bays and taking close-up photos of the Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits, were left undone. Flight and telescope controllers decided to cancel the photography job and schedule the 10-minute lubrication job for Thursday's space walk. The duration of the spacewalk was second only to the 8 hour, 29 minute space walk from Endeavour on STS-49 in May 1992. A few minor problems helped account for the length of the space walk. One of the old gyroscope-containing Rate Sensor Units was a tight fit in the box designed to protect it on its return to Earth, though eventually it was placed inside and the lid closed. Another involved opening valves and removing caps on the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer, in preparation for restoring it to operation during the next Hubble Servicing mission. That task too eventually was completed. All in all flight and telescope controllers were delighted with the accomplishments of the day. Major tasks on Thursday's space walk by Michael Foale and Claude Nicollier include replacement of Hubble's outmoded DF-224 computer with a more modern unit 20 times faster and with six times the memory. They also will replace one of Hubble's three fine guidance sensors, used to precisely point the telescope and gather scientific data. The astronauts also may perform "get-ahead tasks," some first scheduled for a fourth space walk. That space walk was cancelled because of delays in Discovery's launch. Discovery remains in excellent condition, in an orbit with a high point of 380 statute miles and a low point of 369 miles. STS-103 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Thursday, December 23, 1999, 10:00 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #08 reports: Discovery's seven-member crew began work early today, preparing for a busy day on orbit, including a second spacewalk and a final check of hardware installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during yesterday's spacewalk. The primary goal of today's spacewalk, to be conducted by Mike Foale and European Space Agency astronaut Claude Nicollier, is to install a new computer to replace the one currently in use by Hubble. The new computer is 20 times faster and has six times the memory of the outdated unit being replaced. Nicollier and Foale also will change out one of Hubble's three Fine Guidance Sensors that are used to precisely point the telescope as it conducts scientific observations. The unit being installed today is a refurbished unit that was removed and returned to Earth by the STS-82 crew during its servicing of the telescope in February 1997. If time permits, the space walkers also may perform some optional "get ahead" tasks. Foale has conducted two previous spacewalks, during the STS-63 mission in February 1995 and again in September 1997 as he and Mir Space Station Commander Anatoly Solovyev conducted a six-hour survey of the Mir. This is Nicollier's first spacewalk. Today's spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m., but could begin earlier if the crew members complete their preparations ahead of schedule. During the spacewalk, Foale can be recognized by the broken red stripes on the legs of his EVA suit, and Nicollier by the diagonally broken red stripes on his suit. Discovery's astronauts also supported a functional test of the voltage temperature improvement kits - referred to as VIKs - installed by Steve Smith and John Grunsfeld during their spacewalk yesterday. To ensure the checkout is complete prior to the start of today's scheduled EVA, the astronauts began the work shortly after crew wake-up. During the 90-minute long checkout, investigators will monitor the performance of the voltage kits as the telescope's batteries are charged. This morning's wake-up music honored the two space-walking astronauts, Nicollier and Foale. Traditional Swiss music was played for Nicollier and the song "Only When I Sleep" by The Corrs was played for Foale. Discovery remains in excellent condition, in an orbit with a high point of 380 statute miles and a low point of 369 miles. On Thursday, December 23, 1999, 11:30 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #09 reports: The Hubble Space Telescope received a new advanced computer Thursday from space-walking Discovery astronauts Mike Foale and Claude Nicollier. Their 8-hour, 10-minute space walk, the third longest in history, also saw replacement of a 550-pound fine guidance sensor. Flight controllers said all major activities of the space walk, the second of three on consecutive days of Discovery's space telescope repair and improvement mission, had been accomplished. Controllers reported that power was reaching both of the new pieces of equipment. "The brains of Hubble have been replaced," said Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld, who worked Thursday in Discovery's cabin with the space-walking crew members outside. About 30 minutes later Hubble began thinking with those new brains. At an evening mission status briefing, John Campbell, Hubble Space Telescope program manager, said the functional checkout of the new computer showed it was functioning well. Checkout of the Fine Guidance Sensor, is continuing. The length of Thursday's space walk made it the third longest in history, behind only the 8-hour, 15-minute effort on Wednesday by Payload Commander Steve Smith and Grunsfeld and an 8-hour, 29-minute space walk by three Endeavor astronauts on STS-49 on its Intelsat rescue mission in May 1992. Replacement of one of Hubble's two S-band transmitters is a highlight of Friday's space walk by Smith and Grunsfeld. The transmitter to be replaced had failed. The second transmitter was able to carry the load alone, so no science was lost. The transmitters are considered very reliable, and unlike most of the equipment aboard Hubble, they were not designed to be changed out in orbit. Special tools were developed to enable astronauts to do the job more easily. Installation of a Solid State Recorder to replace a less reliable and less capable 10-year-old recorder is the second major item on the schedule. Also on the timeline of the space walk, scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m. CST, is installation of new insulation on equipment bay doors. The spacewalk could, like its two predecessors on STS-103, begin earlier if the crew completes preparations early. Flight controllers are anxious to end this third space walk at 8 p.m. as scheduled. Discovery remains is in excellent condition, in an orbit with a high point of 380 statute miles and a low point of 364 miles. STS-103 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Friday, December 24, 1999, 10:00 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #10 reports: The Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to receive its final upgrades today as astronauts Steve Smith and John Grunsfeld perform the last of three planned space walks to refurbish the orbiting observatory. Today's planned 7 = hour-long space walk will see Smith and Grunsfeld install a transmitter that relays Hubble's scientific data from the telescope to the ground and an upgraded digital recorder replacing an older mechanical version. The transmitter to be installed today replaces one that failed in 1998. Since that time, the second on-board transmitter has successfully carried the load without any disruption to Hubble operations. The transmitters are considered very reliable, and unlike most of the equipment aboard Hubble, were not designed to be changed out in orbit. Special tools were developed to enable astronauts to do the job more easily. The digital Solid State Recorder being installed on the telescope will replace an older mechanical model and provide more than 10 times the storage capacity. Smith and Grunsfeld also will apply some new insulation on equipment bay doors to minimize any degradation of the telescope's protective thermal coverings. The space walk currently is scheduled to being at 1:20 p.m. Central Time and is expected to last about 7 = hours. Mission Control awakened the crew at 8:50 a.m. today to the sounds of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" played for Smith and the children's song "Skinnamarink" by Kimbo for Grunsfeld. Discovery remains in excellent condition, in an orbit with a high point of 380 statute miles and a low point of 364 miles. On Friday, December 24, 1999, 11:00 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Discovery astronauts completed their third and final space walk Friday evening, replacing a failed radio transmitter and installing a new solid state recorder. After the successful completion of those tasks, Lead Flight Director Linda Ham announced Friday evening that the STS-103 mission had met all criteria for complete success. Discovery astronauts are scheduled to release Hubble a little before 5 p.m. CST on Christmas Day. Astronauts Steve Smith and John Grunsfeld on Friday installed a transmitter that sends scientific data from Hubble to the ground. The transmitter replaced one that failed in 1998. A second transmitter had successfully carried the load without any disruption to Hubble scientific operations. Since the transmitters are considered very reliable, they were not designed to be replaced in orbit and special tools were developed to make the job easier. Smith and Grunsfeld also installed a solid state digital recorder, replacing an older mechanical reel-to-reel recorder version. The digital Solid State Recorder provides more than 10 times the storage capacity of the old unit. They also applied new insulation on two equipment bay doors. Both the transmitter and the recorder checked out normally on early tests by telescope controllers. Two previous space walks on Wednesday and Thursday had completed the highest priority tasks of the mission. Those tasks included installation of six new gyroscopes and six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits, giving Hubble a new computer 20 times faster and with six times the memory of the old computer, and replacement of one of Hubble's three Fine Guidance Sensors. Friday's space walk lasted 8 hours and 8 minutes, ending at 9:25 p.m., making it the fourth longest in history. Part of the reason for the length of the space walk was difficulty in hooking Grunsfeld's suit up to orbiter power after he had returned to Discovery's airlock. Friday's space walk brings the total time of STS-103 extravehicular activity to 24 hours, 33 minutes. This mission's three space walks bring the total amount of time spent servicing Hubble to 93 hours, 13 minutes. Space Shuttle Program space walks now total 317 hours, 3 minutes. And Steve Smith now is the astronaut with the second longest combined space walk time, with 35 hours, 33 minutes behind only Jerry Ross, with 44 hours, 11 minutes. Discovery is in an orbit with a high point of 380 miles and a low point of 363 miles. All of the orbiter's systems continued to function normally. The next status report will be issued at 11 a.m. Saturday or when events warrant. STS-103 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Saturday, December 25, 1999, 10:00 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #12 reports: Christmas Day onboard the Shuttle Discovery began with seasons greetings for Commander Curt Brown, as the crew awoke to Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas." "Merry Christmas to all of you down there," replied Brown. "And Hubble will be home for Christmas 'cause today we're going to set her free." Discovery's astronauts will be doing the gift-giving this afternoon as they return the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit, allowing it to continue its astronomical observations. About 1:45 p.m. CST, European Space Agency astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy will use Discovery's robot arm to firmly grasp the telescope. After a series of commands to disconnect from external power and confirm Hubble is ready for release, Clervoy will gently lift it out of the support structure in Discovery's payload bay where it has rested since he first plucked it from orbit on December 21. The telescope's aperture door will be commanded open and at 4:50 p.m., Clervoy will release the upgraded telescope. Hubble's capabilities were enhanced over the course of three spacewalks, lasting a combined total of 24 hours, 33 minutes. Spacewalking astronauts Steve Smith, John Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude Nicollier installed six new gyroscopes, six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits, a new more efficient computer, and a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor. Functional checks and tests of the hardware indicate that the new equipment is working properly and will further enhance the Hubble's scientific capabilities. This afternoon, the spacewalking team, including arm operator Clervoy, will take a break from their duties to discuss the progress of the mission so far in a series of interviews with CNN, the Associated Press and the Fox News Network. That interview is scheduled for 7:12 p.m. today. Discovery is in an orbit with a high point of 380 miles and a low point of 363 miles with all systems on board performing well. On Saturday, December 25, 1999, 8:00 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #13 reports: Discovery's astronauts delivered a Christmas present to the world today, putting the Hubble Space Telescope back in service after 24 hours and 33 minutes of repairs and upgrades that make the orbital observatory more capable than ever. European Space Agency Astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy used the shuttle's robot arm to gently release the telescope at 5:03 p.m. CST, then placed the arm into an upright salute as Commander Curt Brown fired Discovery's steering jets to begin separating from the telescope. The telescope's re-deployment took place at an altitude of 370 statute miles as the two spacecraft flew over the South Pacific's Coral Sea northeast of Australia, its aperture door opened to the heavens before the release. By 5:30 p.m. CST, controllers at the Space Telescope Operations Control Center in Maryland were reporting that the telescope was in normal operating mode. Controllers will perform two weeks of testing before resuming observations with the telescope. "The HST is now orbiting freely once again and is in fantastic shape," Hubble Space Telescope Program Manager John Campbell said after the release. "The spacecraft is being guided by its new gyros, under the control of its brand new computer. The Hubble team is very grateful to the Discovery crew, to the launch and flight teams and to all those who made this mission so successful. We especially thank the families of the entire STS-103 team, who made so many personal sacrifices at this holiday season, enabling the Hubble Space Telescope to resume its voyage of discovery." At 5:39 p.m. CST, Brown executed a second steering jet burn, lowering Dicovery's orbit slightly, so that it would begin orbiting faster than the telescope and move away at just under 6 statute miles per orbit. Afterward, each of the seven astronauts on board called down holiday wishes from space in several languages. "The familiar Christmas story reminds us that for millennia, people of many faiths and cultures have looked to the skies and studied the stars and planets in their search for a deeper understanding of life and for greater wisdom," radioed Brown. "We, the Discovery crew and this mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, are very proud to be part of this ongoing search beyond ourselves. We hope and trust that the lessons the universe has to teach us will speak to the yearning that we know is in human hearts everywhere -- the yearning for peace on Earth, good will among all the human family. As we stand at the threshold of a new millennium, we send you all our greetings." Over the course of three space walks, Astronauts Steve Smith, John Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude Nicollier installed six new gyroscopes, six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits, a new more efficient computer, and a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor. Functional checks and tests of the hardware indicate that the new equipment is working well. The space-walking team, including arm operator Clervoy, also took a break from their duties to discuss the progress of the mission so far in a series of interviews with CNN, the Associated Press and the Fox News Network. The crew is scheduled to go to bed just before midnight Central time and wake up at 7:50 a.m. Sunday to begin a day of preparations for Monday's landing. Discovery is in a 363 by 380 statute mile orbit with all systems on board performing well. STS-103 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Sunday, December 26, 1999, 8:00 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #14 reports: With their primary mission objectives successfully completed, Discovery's astronauts today begin preparing their spacecraft for its scheduled return to Earth Monday, checking out the flight control system and reaction control jets that support re-entry. The seven astronauts were awakened at 7:50 a.m. to the song "We're So Good Together" by Reba McEntyre, played for Pilot Scott Kelly at the request of his wife. This afternoon, Commander Curt Brown and Kelly will check out Discovery's flight control systems and surfaces to support Monday's planned return to the Kennedy Space Center. Later in the day, the astronauts will begin stowing the equipment they've used during the past week on orbit and start buttoning up Discovery's on-orbit systems. The Ku-band antenna, which provides most of the capacity for data and television relay, will be stowed around 8:45 p.m. today. As the STS-103 mission winds down, the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope slowly moves through its checkout sequence prior to resuming science operations. Discovery's four space-walking astronauts spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing the orbiting observatory, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm at 5:03 p.m. Christmas Day. Less than half an hour later, controllers at the Space Telescope Operations Control Center in Maryland reported that the telescope was in normal operating mode. Controllers will perform two weeks of testing before observations resume. At 8 a.m. today, Hubble was approximately 45 miles away from Discovery and separating at the rate of about five miles per 90-minute orbit. Also on tap at 10:50 a.m. today is the crew in-flight press conference with media at NASA Centers in the U.S. and reporters at European Space Agency sites in Geneva and Paris. On Sunday, December 26, 1999, 10:00 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #15 reports: Following the successful deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope yesterday, the seven man crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery turned its attention today to preparing for the return to Kennedy Space Center late tomorrow afternoon. STS-103 Commander Curt Brown, along with Pilot Scott Kelly, first performed checks of the Flight Control System by activating one of the three Auxiliary Power Units aboard Discovery to allow them to test the various aerosurfaces that will be used to steer the Shuttle once it has re-entered the atmosphere. The crew then did a check of the Reaction Control System, the maneuvering jets that steer Discovery while the Shuttle is in space. Both the FCS and RCS checkouts were without issue, with all systems ready to support Discovery's return to Earth. The weather forecast for the two available landing sites is very good for both a nominal end of mission as well as the two extension days that are planned into every Shuttle flight. The prediction for KSC on Monday is for only a few clouds at the upper levels and very good visibility. The only possible concern is crosswinds that are predicted to be near the peak of what is allowed at the three-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC. Weather at the alternate landing site at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California also is predicted to be very good on Monday, with only a few high clouds and light winds. The extended forecast for both landing sites on Tuesday and Wednesday shows continued favorable weather. At tonight's mission status briefing, Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale said that given the very good forecast at both landing sites for the next three days, the Shuttle team's current plan for Monday afternoon would be to try for the first two landing opportunities at KSC. If Discovery cannot land on one of those opportunities and the weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday remains the same, Discovery and her crew would be kept in orbit one additional day to try and allow a KSC landing on Tuesday. Shuttle managers would like to land at KSC if possible in order to avoid the work associated with transporting an orbiter from California back to Florida. The first opportunity to land at KSC on Monday takes place on orbit 118 with a deorbit burn at 3:06 p.m. CST and a landing at KSC at 4:18 p.m. The second opportunity on orbit 119 would have a deorbit burn taking place at 4:49 p.m. and a landing at KSC at 6:00 p.m. CST. A third and final opportunity for a KSC landing is available on orbit 120 if needed. The third opportunity has a deorbit burn at 6:32 p.m. and landing at 7:43 p.m. CST. Should the extended weather forecast change, there are landing opportunities at the Edwards site on the same three orbits, along with an additional opportunity on orbit 121. The STS-103 crew will begin a planned eight-hour sleep period at 11:20 p.m. this evening. A wake-up call from Mission Control to begin what should be their final day in space for this flight will come at 7:20 a.m. on Monday. STS-103 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Monday, December 27, 1999, 8:30 a.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #16 reports: With promising weather forecast for the Kennedy Space Center, preparations are under way to bring the seven-member crew of Discovery home following a successful mission to refurbish and repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew's day began with a wake-up call from Mission Control, "The Cup of Life," sung by Ricky Martin. The music was the official song of France '98 World Cup Soccer and was played for Mission Specialist #2, Jean-Francois Clervoy of the European Space Agency at the request of his son. Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale and his team of flight controllers have three attempts to bring Discovery home to Florida today. The first opportunity would see a firing of the Shuttle's large orbital maneuvering system engines at 3:06 p.m. to drop Discovery out of orbit and begin its high speed reentry toward Earth. Landing would occur at 4:18 p.m. Central time (5:18 p.m. EST). The second opportunity would see a deorbit burn at 4:48 p.m., resulting in a landing at 6:01 p.m. Central time (7:01 p.m. EST). The final opportunity for the day would have the deorbit burn occurring at 6:31 p.m. with landing to follow at 7:43 p.m. Central (8:43 p.m. EST). If Discovery lands on either of the last two opportunities, Commander Curt Brown and his crew would make the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history. The entry flight controllers will be receiving updated weather forecasts throughout the day, however the initial prediction is for favorable weather with a few high level clouds. Earlier predictions of cross winds at or near acceptable limits appear to be trending in a positive direction. Weather at the alternate landing site at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California also is predicted to be very good today although KSC is the prime landing site for today's opportunities. On Monday, December 27, 1999, 6:30 p.m. CST, STS-103 MCC Status Report #17 reports: The seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Discovery glided to a smooth landing at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up their eight-day mission to refurbish and repair the Hubble Space Telescope. After waving off the first landing opportunity of the day because of a concern with cross winds at the landing site, the crew was given a "go" to perform the deorbit burn which came at 4:48 p.m. CST and caused Discovery to fall out of it's 380 statute mile high orbit to start the journey home to the Kennedy Space Center. With Commander Curt Brown at the controls, Discovery touched down at 6:01 p.m CST on Runway 33 at the three mile long Shuttle Landing Facility runway at KSC to complete a mission spanning almost 3.3 million miles. Pilot Scott Kelly, Flight Engineer Jean-Francois Clervoy and Mission Specialist Michael Foale joined Brown on the flight deck for entry and landing. Mission Specialists Steve Smith, John Grunsfeld and Claude Nicollier were seated down in the middeck. The end of the STS-103 mission marked the 20th consecutive landing at the Florida spaceport and the 13th night landing in the history of the Shuttle program. Left behind in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope now features six new gyroscopes, six new voltage/temperature improvement kits, a new onboard computer, a new solid state recorder and new data transmitter, a new fine guidance sensor along with new insulation on parts of the orbiting telescope. The STS-103 crew will spend the evening in Florida before returning to Houston on Tuesday. The crew is expected to leave Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach, FL at approximately 1:30 p.m. CST. The crew should land at Ellington Field at about 5 p.m. where the seven astronauts will be greeted by JSC management and center employees. The crew return ceremony will occur at Hangar 990 and is open to the general public. Further updates on the time of the crew return ceremony can be obtained by calling the JSC newsroom at 281/483-5111 on Tuesday afternoon after 2 p.m. Mission Name: STS-99 (97) Endeavour (14) Pad 39-A (68) 97th Shuttle Mission 14th Flight OV-105 KSC Landing (50) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Kevin R. Kregel (4), Mission Commander Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie (2), Pilot Janet L. Kavandi (2), Mission Specialist Janice E. Voss (5), Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri (2), Mission Specialist (NASDA) Gerhard P.J. Thiele (1), Mission Specialist Milestones: OPF -- 12/15/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/15/1998) VAB -- 7/11/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/16/1999) PAD -- 12/13/99 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/13/1999) Payload: SRTM,EarthKAM Mission Objectives: The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth. SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the space shuttle during its 11-day mission. This radar system will gather data that will produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. SRTM uses C-band and X-band interferometric synthetic aperture radars (IFSARs) to acquire topographic data of Earth's land mass (between 600N and 560S). It produces digital topographic map products which meet Interferometric Terrain Height Data (ITHD)-2 specifications (30 meter x 30 meter spatial sampling with 16 meter absolute vertical height accuracy, 10 meter relative vertical height accuracy and 20 meter absolute horizontal circular accuracy). The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. Launch: February 11, 2000. 12:43 pm EST (17:43 UTC) Launch window was 2 hours and 10 min. On Friday, February 11, 2000, Fueling of the external tank began at 3:49 am (EST) and entered into stable replenish mode at 6:37 a.m. At 8:02 am EST, the crew had their prelaunch breakfast and prepared to enter their launch and entry suits. At 9:09 am EST, the countdown clock came out of the hold at the T-minus 3 hour mark. At 9:15 am (14:15 UTC), the crew departed the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) for Launch Pad 39A. By 9:30 am the crew was in the white room and began ingress into the orbiter. By 10:57 am the hatch was closed and locked for flight. The countdown clock was held at the T-minus 9 minute mark to resolve 3 minor technical issues relating to the cabin leak check supply pressure, a hydraulic recirculation pump and a L2 manifold tank heater. The count picked back up and the Orbiter Access Arm (OAA) was retracted at 12:36pm. The gaseous Oxygen vent arm was retracted at 12:41pm. A go for auto sequence start was given at the T-minus 20 second mark. Liftoff occured 12:43 (UTC 17:43). On Thursday, February 10, 2000, Preparation continues on schedule today for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour this Friday at 12:30 p.m. EST. Replacement of the global positioning system box located inside Endeavour's crew module concluded yesterday and tests of the new unit are complete. The orbiter's onboard storage tanks were loaded with cryogenic reactants last night and no significant issues are being worked by the KSC launch team at this time. Today, Endeavour's three main engines will be prepared for propellant loading operations. The orbiter's communication systems will be activated this morning and this afternoon flight crew equipment late stow operations begin. The Rotating Service Structure will move to the park position at about 6:30 p.m., revealing the entire Shuttle for the first time since the last launch attempt. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/10/2000) On Wednesday, February 9, 2000, The launch countdown for mission STS-99 began on time yesterday at 5:30 p.m. EST, and final preparation for Friday's launch continues on schedule at Launch Pad 39A. A global positioning system box located inside Endeavour's crew module will be replaced following a failed self test this morning. Replacement efforts begin this evening and will not impact the launch date. The component supports SRTM payload operations in flight. This morning, routine tests of Endeavour's pyrotechnic initiator controllers confirmed that the safe and arm device indicator located in the left hand solid rocket booster's forward skirt is functioning as expected and is ready for launch. This was a confidence test for Shuttle engineers who yesterday completed inspections of a cable that supports the device. Inspections revealed only superficial scuffing to exterior tape and confirmed that the cable was intact. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/09/2000) On Tuesday, February 1, 2000, mission managers decided to delay the launch until no earlier than February 9, 2000 to give the launch team time to swap out Endeavour's Enhanced Master Events Controller (EMEC) #2 located in the orbiter's aft compartment.. A launch was last delayed August 29, 1984 on Discovery's STS 41-D flight due to a MEC. Engineers have not been able to reproduce the problem and are continuing their evaluation. Preliminary analysis and testing indicates a possible hardware problem within the unit. The unit weighs 65 pounds, is approximately 20 inches long, 13 inches wide and 8 inches tall. A spare is available at KSC and today workers are testing the replacement EMEC unit. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/01/2000) On Monday, January 31, 2000, tanking operations began at 4:10am EST and transititioned to stable replenish mode at 7:04 am EST. At around 8am EST a team was sent to the launch pad to troubleshoot a redundant power supply on the LH2 recirculation pump on the mobile launch platform. The ice inspection team was also at the pad inspecting the vehicle. The crew ate their preflight meal (Red Team breakfast and Blue Team lunch) and at 9:10am EST, suited up for flight. At 9:34 am EST the crew departed the Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Pad 39A. At 11:08 am EST, the hatch was closed and locked for flight. The countdown clock counted down to the T-minus 20 minute mark and was kept in a hold condition due to weather conditions. The launch team also investigatigated a potential problem with the onboard Master Events Controller (MEC) #2 Built In Test Equipment (BITE). The problem did not reoccur during additional testing. At 1:58pm EST, (18:58 UTC) NTD gave the go to pickup the count and countdown to the T-minus 9 minute mark and hold pending weather. At 2:08pm EST, the call was made to scrub due to weather constraints and enter into at 24 hour scrub turnaround. The new launch date was tentatively set for Tuesday, February 1, 2000 at 12:44pm.EST. Over the night, engineering teams will evaluate data from the Master Events Controller. On Thursday, January 27, 2000, At Launch Pad 39A, work continues in preparation for Monday's launch of Shuttle Endeavour. This week, workers completed Shuttle ordnance installation and the aft compartment doors were installed yesterday. Endeavour's reaction control and maneuvering systems have been pressurized for flight and early flight crew equipment stowage is complete. Today at about noon, the STS-99 flight crew arrived at KSC to make final preparation for their upcoming flight. Over the next few days, crew members will review mission procedures, conduct test flights in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and undergo routine preflight medical exams. The launch countdown begins tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. and will be conducted in Control Room No. 3 in KSC's Launch Control Center. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/27/2000) On Wednesday, January 26, 2000, Aft compartment close-outs are complete. Replacement of the four payload bay camera assemblies is complete and retesting concluded today. While the payload bay doors are open, workers will clean the optics on the SRTM Attitude and Orbit Determination Assembly (AODA). Door closure is slated to occur tonight. Endeavour remains in the standard cold weather configuration with the reaction control system heaters powered up. The flight crew arrives at KSC tomorrow at about noon and the countdown clock starts Friday at 5:30 p.m. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/26/2000) On Monday, January 24, 2000, Over the weekend, engineers determined that four camera mounts in Endeavour's payload bay will be replaced with no schedule impact. Tuesday morning, the orbiter's payload bay will be opened and workers will remove and replace two camera assemblies from the forward bulkhead and two camera assemblies from the aft bulkhead. Analysis showed that the camera mounts were slightly yielding to the camera's weight. A strengthening modification has been implemented on the replacement units. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/24/2000) On Wednesday, January 5, 2000, The launch team is conducting a standard launch countdown simulation today in KSC's Launch Control Center. At the launch pad this week, workers are preparing to load propellant into Endeavour's onboard storage tanks. On Friday, engineers will conduct the Shuttle helium signature leak test. Leak checks on the orbiter's midbody umbilical unit are scheduled to occur next Wednesday. Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities with the flight crew are slated to occur Jan. 13 and 14. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/05/2000) On Monday, December 13, 1999 Space Shuttle Endeavour rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building today at 7 a.m., headed toward Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, workers will begin routine launch pad validations. All three auxiliary power units will be hot fire tested tomorrow. The remainder of the STS-99 prelaunch work schedule is being reviewed due to the recent engine replacement and in order to accommodate STS-103 processing efforts. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/13/1999) On Wednesday, December 1, 1999 Workers in the OPF have completed wiring close-outs on Orbiter Endeavour and the payload bay doors were closed last night. Preparations are under way for Endeavour to roll to the Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday at about 10 a.m. The orbiter will be mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 1Thursday night and managers plan to transfer the Space Shuttle to Launch Pad 39A Dec. 7. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/01/1999) On Thursday, October 7, 1999, with wiring inspections and repairs of Discovery and Endeavour nearing completion and similar work beginning on Atlantis, Shuttle program managers set new planning target launch dates for the next three Space Shuttle missions. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/7/1999) On Thursday, September 2, 1999, payload engineers have determined that the bent freon line associated with the SRTM payload will be repaired with a brace and replacing the line will not be necessary. The bent line was reported earlier this month by a technician working in that area. The freon line is part of a cooling system for some of the SRTM electronics. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/2/1999) On Thursday, August 19, 1999, workers removed the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission payload from Endeavour's payload bay and established access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Inspections are expected to begin this weekend. With wiring inspection and maintenance plans now in place, implementation efforts are in progress across the Shuttle fleet. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options this week and could establish the new target launch dates for 1999 as early as next week. Engineers must first define the time that will be needed to complete the fleet-wide wiring maintenance effort. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/19/1999) On Thursday, August 12, 1999 Shuttle managers decided to delay the rollout of Shuttle Endeavour from OPF bay 2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building to conduct extensive wiring inspections and preventative wire maintenance in the orbiter's payload bay. In depth evaluation of payload bay wiring aboard orbiters Columbia and Atlantis revealed the potential for damaged wire to exist in Endeavour's payload bay. The additional work will delay the STS-99 launch to at least early October. Tomorrow, workers will begin preparations to remove the SRTM payload from Endeavour's payload bay to gain access to the lower cable trays that run the length of the orbiter's midbody. Once access is established, Shuttle engineers and technicians will begin necessary inspection and mitigation efforts. The impact of this delay and the unplanned wiring work needed on the rest of the Shuttle fleet is being assessed. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/12/1999) On Friday, July 16, 1999 Technicians have completed functional tests on Endeavour's landing gear. Payload bay close-outs continue and potable water servicing is ongoing. Leak checks of the crew cabin and external airlock are scheduled today. Preparations are under way to receive the SRTM payload into the OPF and then install it into the orbiter's payload bay next Tuesday. The orbiter/payload interface verification test begins next week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/16/1999) On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Modifications to Endeavour's radiator isolation valve are under way. Leak repair on the cold plate for the orbiter's power converter unit is ongoing. Orbiter docking system harness installation is in work and external airlock installation efforts conclude May 6. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/20/1999) On Thursday, March 18, 1999, Installation of Endeavour's three auxiliary power units (APU) concludes today when technicians install APU No. 2. Valve modifications on freon coolant loop No. 1 continue to go well. Next week, fuel cells No. 1 and No. 2 are being replaced and preparations to replace the left-hand orbital maneuvering system engine are ongoing. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/18/1999) On Thursday, February 25, 1999, modifications of Endeavour's freon coolant loop No. 1 continued to go well, with replacement of the left hand radiators now complete. The orbiter's forward reaction control system (RCS) will arrive in the OPF today for installation inside the orbiter's nose on Saturday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/25/1999) Orbit: Altitude: 126nm Inclination: 57 Orbits: 181 Duration: 11 days, 5 hours, 39 minutes 41 seconds. Distance: 4 million 64 thousand miles Hardware: SRB: SRM: ET : MLP : 3 SSME-1: SN- SSME-2: SN- SSME-3: SN- Landing: KSC Runway 33 Feb. 22, 2000 6:23 p.m. EST. At 5pm EST, a go was given for the deorbit burn for KSC's 2nd landing opportunity and the deorbit burn occured at 5:24 p.m EST. Sonic booms heard at 6:18 p.m. EST at KSC 3.5 minutes before touchdown. Main Gear Touchdown at MET 11 days 5 hours 38 min (18:22:23:174 EST). Nose Gear touchdown at MET 11 days 5 hours 39 minutes (18:22:34:569 EST). Wheel Stop at MET 11 days 5 hours 39 minutes 41 seconds (18:23:25:529 EST). The 1st landing opportunity for KSC at 4:50 p.m. EST was waived off due to weather concerns. A second opportunity to land in Florida was available with a touchdown at 5:22 p.m. CST. Endeavour could have also landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, with a touchdown at 6:48 p.m. CST. Flight controllers closely monitored the weather at the Kennedy Space Center and at Edwards Air Force Base. High winds and possible cloud cover were forecast for Kennedy that could have prohibited a landing there. The forecast for Edwards called for acceptable landing weather. To land on the first opportunity to Florida, Endeavour would have had to fire its engines to begin its descent at 2:53 p.m. CST. For the second Florida landing opportunity, Endeavour fired its engines at 4:24 p.m. to leave orbit. For a landing in California, Endeavour would have had to fire its engines at 5:51 p.m. CST. Mission Highlights: STS-99 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Friday, February 11, 2000, 12:15 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #1 reports: With six astronauts on board, Endeavour sped to orbit under cloudless skies from the Kennedy Space Center today to begin the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, the first human space flight of the 21st century. Commander Kevin Kregel, Pilot Dom Gorie, and Mission Specialists Janice Voss, Janet Kavandi, Gerhard Thiele and Mamoru Mohri blasted off 14 minutes into the available 2 hour plus launch window at 11:44 a.m. Central time after a near flawless countdown, and arrived on orbit 8 minutes later. The slight delay in launching Endeavour was due to the launch team needing a few minutes to resolve some minor technical issues before proceeding with the final portion of the countdown. The STS-99 crew's first tasks were to set up Endeavour for dual shift, round-the-clock operations using a trio of radar systems mounted in the cargo bay for the most comprehensive three-dimensional map of the Earth ever attempted. Once Endeavour's payload bay doors are opened, the Red team of Kregel, Kavandi and Thiele will begin to activate the Shuttle radar instruments, and will prepare for the deployment of a 200-foot long boom over the left wing of the orbiter on which two of the radar systems are housed. That boom deploy will begin about 5 + hours into the mission. Kregel, Kavandi and Thiele will conduct a series of jet thruster firings once the boom is deployed to test its ability to flex properly and will set up recorders on board on which the radar data will be stored for downlink to mission scientists on the ground. Meantime, the Blue team of Gorie, Voss and Mohri will begin an abbreviated six hour sleep period at 3:44 p.m. They'll be awakened at 9:44 p.m., soon after the radar boom has been checked out, to begin radar mapping operations late tonight. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth in an orbit inclined 57 degrees to either side of the Equator for the radar mapping of around 80 per cent of the Earth's surface. Endeavour is orbiting the planet every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 127 nautical miles. The next STS-99 status report will be issued tonight after the radar boom mast is deployed. On Friday, February 11, 2000, 8 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #2 reports: Space shuttle astronauts deployed the longest rigid structure ever built in space today and continued work to check out the equipment they will use to produce unrivaled three-dimensional image Red Team leader Commander Kevin Kregel, and colleagues Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele initiated extension of the radar mast at 5:27 p.m. CST. After 17 minutes, all 87 cube-shaped bays of the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, stainless steel, alpha titanium, and Invar structure were deployed by 5:44 p.m. Total length of the mast was 60.95 meters, or just under 200 feet. The crew also maneuvered the shuttle into the proper attitude, or orientation, for mapping. This orientation points the shuttle payload bay and its inboard and outboard radar antennas at the Earth. Endeavour's tail is leading the way as the shuttle orbits about 150 statute miles above the surface. The Red Team then began a series of jet thruster firings to test the ability of dampers to absorb the force of planned maneuvering jet firings and keep the inboard and outboard antennas properly aligned. This alignment is crucial for scientists who will need to combine the radar images received by the two sets of antennas. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will record radar data in both C-band and X-band radar wavelengths. This data eventually will be processed into 3-D maps of the Earth that are 30 times more exact that those currently available. These maps will be important to scientists in many disciplines, ranging from ecology to geology to hydrology, as well as a number of military and commercial applications. As the Red Team performed the checkout procedures, Blue Team members Dom Gorie, Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri set up the shuttle's network of portable computers and began an abbreviated six-hour sleep period at 3:44 p.m. They'll be awakened at 9:44 p.m. to begin radar mapping operations late tonight. Endeavour is orbiting the Earth in an orbit inclined 57 degrees to either side of the Equator for the radar mapping of a majority of the Earth's surface. The shuttle completes one orbit every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 statute miles. STS-99 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Saturday, February 12, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #3 reports: Endeavour astronauts began mapping operations on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will provide maps of the Earth unprecedented in accuracy and uniformity. The first swath was begun as the orbiter crossed over southern Asia and continued until Endeavour flew over the continent's eastern coast and moved over the northern Pacific Ocean. The mapping will continue through the mission until the antenna mast is retracted before landing. Because of the 24-hour-a-day activity aboard Endeavour, the six crewmembers are divided into two teams. Blue Team members Dom Gorie, Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri began the first mapping swath, covering a 140-mile-wide path, at about 11:31 p.m. Friday. It was the beginning of coverage of more than 70 percent of the Earth' land surface. The mapping will cover an area between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south, where about 95 percent of the Earth's population lives. The Red Team, led by Mission Commander Kevin Kregel, includes Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele. Their first shift was intense. It included deployment and checkout of the almost 200-foot mast supporting the outboard antenna structure. It is the largest rigid structure ever deployed in space. The Red Team began its sleep period at about 10:45 p.m. Friday and are scheduled to be awakened at 6:44 this morning. After mast deployment, tests revealed that the mast's damping system, designed as a kind of a shock absorber for the mast, was not working as expected. Flight controllers decided to leave the dampers in their locked position. Calculations showed that the mast was at no risk without the dampers activated. All planned science data takes have been acquired successfully and all indications from the telemetry show that the radars are performing nominally. Data has been sent to JPL for analysis and early indications are that the data is of excellent quality. Additional reports about mapping results are expected about 12:00 noon CST. Shortly after 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Voss and Gorie held a news conference with correspondents from NBC and CNN. Saturday is scheduled to be the first full day of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission mapping. Endeavour systems continued to function normally. On Saturday, February 12, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #4 reports: By the time members of Endeavour's Red Team had reached lunchtime on this first full day in space for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, the radar antennas in the payload bay and at the end of a 200-foot mast had mapped about 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers) of the Earth's surface, or the equivalent of about half the area of the United States. The Red Team - Kevin Kregel, Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele - took over the mapping operations from their Blue Team counterparts shortly after waking up about 7 this morning Central Time. Dom Gorie, Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri turned in shortly after 2 this afternoon and are to be awakened at 10:14 tonight. For a few minutes this morning, while Japanese astronaut Mohri conducted mapping operations - Gorie and Voss discussed the mission with CNN and NBC's Today Show. The crew is working around the clock, in two shifts, to collect data that will produce maps of the Earth with unprecedented accuracy and uniformity. Mapping operations will continue for 10 days, and are proceeding very smoothly. SRTM will cover the area between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south, roughly the area between St. Petersburg, Russia to the north and the tip of South America to the south. The area to be mapped is home to about 95 percent of the Earth's population. In all, more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface will be mapped. The first X-band image - of the area near White Sands, New Mexico - was released this afternoon, and scientists expressed their delight with the quality of the image. X-band images will be posted to the German Space Agency web site at www.dfd.dlr.de/srtm/html/newtoday_en.htm. Both the C-band and X-band radars continue to perform as expected. "The data we've seen so far looks just terrific," said Dr. Michael Kobrick, project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. "The mapping plan is right on schedule." Early this afternoon, Kregel fired the shuttle's thruster jets in a series of pulsed burns to measure the movement of the rigid mast extending over Endeavour's left wing. Flight controllers reported the tip of the mast moved only 11 inches, just as predicted, despite the fact the antenna's dampers remained locked in position. The firings were necessary to determine how they affect the mast, prior to upcoming maneuvers to raise Endeavour's orbit. Endeavour's crew also downlinked launch video from an in-cabin camera, providing a unique perspective of yesterday's flawless launch. All of Endeavour's payload and spacecraft systems are continuing to function normally. STS-99 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Sunday, February 13, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #5 reports: The first "flycast maneuver" trim burn was completed without a hitch by members of the Endeavour crew early Sunday. A little later, the Payload Operations Center reported that the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission had successfully mapped 7.64 million square miles as of very early Sunday morning. The flycast maneuver is designed to reduce strain on the almost-200-foot mast extending from Endeavour's cargo bay. The orbiter, which flies tail-first during mapping operations, is moved to a nose-first attitude with the mast extending upward. A brief reaction control system pulse begins the maneuver. The mast deflects slightly backwards, then rebounds forward. As it reaches vertical, a stronger thrust is applied, arresting the mast's motion and increasing the orbiter's speed. For this mission Endeavour is in a comparatively low orbit, and is slowed by the upper fringes of the Earth's atmosphere, which causes it to lose altitude. The crew will make daily flycast maneuver trim burns to keep the spacecraft in the proper altitude for mapping. Endeavour's Red Team, Commander Kevin Kregel, and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, began their eight-hour sleep period shortly after the trim burn. Blue Team members went on duty at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Working around the clock in the two shifts, crewmembers will map an area from 60 degrees north to 56 degrees south. The area includes all the southern continents except Antarctica, and northern continents south of a line from the southern tip of Greenland, southern Alaska and through St. Petersburg, Russia. The area includes about 95 percent of the Earth's population. All of the orbiter's systems continue to function normally. Crewmembers and flight controllers in Houston continue to look at the cold gas jet on the end of the SRTM's outboard antenna. They are looking at consumption of propellant and the lack of thrust from that jet, designed to help maintain the attitude of the mast. The balky jet is having no impact on the mission's mapping activities. On Sunday, February 13, 2000, 7 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #6 reports: The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission's mapping operation continues to run smoothly, with about 17.7 million square miles of the Earth's surface having been mapped by 7 p.m. Central time. Scientists also reported that 38 percent of landmasses had been mapped thus far in the flight. Despite a problem with a small nitrogen thruster on the end of the 200-foot-long mast, both the C-band and X-band radars continue to perform as expected, and the thruster problem has had no impact on mapping operations. "We are starting to see the first 'quick look' results from the X-band and C-band antennas and the details are fantastic," said Dr. Michael Kobrick, SRTM project scientist. "Even in this lower resolution, quick-look results, we can see many topographic features that were completely invisible in the best maps we have today." Two members of the Blue Team - Dom Gorie and Mamoru Mohri - spent a few minutes early this morning talking to Dr. Bob Ballard, discoverer of the RMS Titanic and founder of the JASON Foundation, an educational program designed to spark students' interest in science and technology. They also took questions from the Fox News Network. Endeavour's crew and flight controllers continue troubleshooting a problem with a small nitrogen thruster mounted at the tip of the radar's outboard antenna. Although gaseous nitrogen propellant is flowing, little or no thrust is being produced. Crew members cycled the valve open and closed in an attempt to pinpoint the problem. Controllers plan to leave the valve closed for several hours to attempt to quantify the rate of propellant usage. The thruster was designed to keep the mast from 'righting' itself in response to Earth's gravity and remove the need for additional orbiter thruster firings to keep the antenna in its data-taking position. Without the thruster on the antenna, crew members have to fire the orbiter's thrusters more than expected. As the Blue Team wrapped up its third day in space, the Red Team of Kevin Kregel, Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele took over mapping operations shortly after their wake-up call this morning. Gorie, Mohri and Janice Voss turned in shortly after 2 p.m., with a wake-up call set for 10:14 tonight to begin their fourth day of mapping activities. Controllers also did some troubleshooting on one of the on-board cameras after Gorie reported the system that records the time at which images are taken was not working. Controllers suspect that the batteries were weakened due to the delay in launching Endeavour. The weak batteries should have no impact on the use of the camera to support NASA's Earth observation program. After yesterday's repositioning of a camera bracket on the flight deck, EarthKam operations continue nominally. As of late this afternoon, some 355 images had been downlinked from the EarthKam. This NASA program allows students to use interactive Web pages to target and select images to be photographed from a camera onboard the shuttle. All of Endeavour's spacecraft systems are continuing to function normally as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 miles. STS-99 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Monday, February 14, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #7 reports: Endeavour crewmembers successfully completed their second "flycast maneuver" trim burn early Monday, as the spacecraft continued to gather data that will greatly improve our topographical knowledge of the Earth's surface. Scientists already have expressed delight with low-resolution "quick look" data, which revealed features not shown on today's best maps. By early Monday morning, about 20 million square miles had been imaged. By the planned end of the mission, more than 45 million square miles will have been imaged twice. Processing of the huge amount of data gathered by Endeavour - enough to fill about 13,500 CDs if all goes according to plan - will result in maps 30 times more accurate than the best global data available now. The maps also will be of unprecedented uniformity. The flycast maneuver reduces stress on the almost-200-foot mast extending from Endeavour's cargo bay. The orbiter flies tail-first during mapping operations. For the maneuver, it was moved to a nose-first attitude with the mast extending upward. A brief reaction control system pulse began the maneuver. The mast rebounded forward after a slight deflection backwards. As it straightened, a stronger thrust stopped its motion while increasing the orbiter's speed. Endeavour is in a low orbit, and is slowed by the upper atmosphere. The crewmembers make daily flycast maneuver trim burns to keep the spacecraft in the proper altitude for mapping. Flight controllers and crewmembers are troubleshooting a cold gas jet, a thruster on the SRTM outboard antenna. The jet is designed to help control the mast's attitude, a function now being performed by Endeavour's reaction control system jets. The mapping mission continued uninterrupted as flight controllers worked to develop propellant-conserving strategies. Members of the Blue Team, Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri, continued to manage the Payload High Rate Recorders, changing the high-density tapes that will return the mapping data to Earth. About 270 of those tapes are expected to be filled. Members of the Red Team, Commander Kevin Kregel and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, are sleeping. They are scheduled to be awakened at 10:14 a.m. Central Standard Time. On Monday, February 14, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #8 reports: "As excited as a kid on Christmas day" is how Shuttle Radar Topography Mission project engineer Ed Caro described his reaction to the progress of the radar-mapping mission thus far. Operations onboard Endeavour continued without interruption, even without the availability of a small nitrogen thruster on the end of the extended boom. By midday, about 24 million square miles had been mapped once, and 9 million square miles twice. That's more than half the planned coverage for the mission. Mission scientists continue to express delight with the "quick-look" data seen so far. SRTM project scientist Dr. Michael Kobrick notes that Endeavour is mapping 100,000 square kilometers every minute, and that after only three days of flight, the mission has tripled the world's supply of digital terrain elevation data. The low-resolution images processed so far show many topographic features that until now have been difficult to detect on the best maps in existence today. A continuing problem with a small nitrogen thruster on the end of the 200-foot-long mast has had no impact on mapping operations or data quality. Both radar systems -- C-band and X-band -- continue to perform flawlessly. Flight controllers are continuing to troubleshoot the problem with the thruster, which helps control the mast's attitude. This function currently is being performed by Endeavour's reaction control system. Mission managers are implementing propellant conservation measures and hope to meet the full nine-day science objective. The mast continues to provide an extremely stable platform for the mapping operations. As their workday concluded, Blue Team members Dom Gorie, Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri spent a few minutes on Endeavour's flight deck discussing various mission activities. The Blue Team turned in shortly after 2 p.m., with a wake-up call set for 10:14 tonight. The Red Team's Kevin Kregel, Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele was awakened a few minutes after 10 a.m. to continue mapping operations. As of this morning, 525 images had been taken by students using the EarthKam, which allows photos of Earth to be taken using a camera on the shuttle. So far, 20 of the 84 schools participating in the program have requested and received photos. All of Endeavour's systems are functioning normally as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 miles. The next mission status report will be issued at 6 a.m. Tuesday, or as events warrant. STS-99 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Tuesday, February 15, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #9 reports: Endeavour astronauts had completed mapping well over half the targeted Earth land surface by early Tuesday, and scientists continued to express delight at the quality of information they were seeing. More than 20 percent of the targeted land had been mapped twice and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission had covered more than 6 percent of it three times. The area surveyed at least once was equal to that of Africa, North Ameica and Australia combined. Those totals were growing rapidly. Endeavour was gathering mapping data on 40,000 square miles of land each minute. Scientists say the mission already has tripled the world's pool of digital terrain data with this much detail. Endeavour is gathering data four times faster than its advanced data communications system can send it to Earth. "Quick look" data sent down, with less detail than will be available from the high-density tapes being filled aboard the orbiter, already has revealed features not shown on even the best maps available today While Endeavour continued to gather data that will be the basis for maps of unprecedented accuracy and uniformity, flight controllers were troubleshooting the balky cold-gas jet on the outboard antenna structure. The jet helps maintain the attitude of the mast, the longest rigid structure ever deployed in space. The orbiter's reaction control system jets are being used for that function. Flight controllers are developing further procedures to conserve propellant. Blue Team members Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists JaniceVoss and Mamoru Mohri sent down television early Tuesday. It showed Voss using an inflatable globe to explain the SRTM mission, Mamoru Mohri, taking photos out the commander's window, and then, with Pilot Dom Gorie, changing a tape on a payload high rate recorder. Members of the red team, Commander Kevin Kregel, and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, are in their sleep period. They are scheduled to be awakened at 10:14 a.m. Central Standard Time. Endeavour's systems are functioning normally as it circles the Earth at a speed of about 5 miles a second and an altitude of about 150 miles. On Tuesday, February 15, 2000, 6:30 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #10 reports: New radar images of Brazil, South Africa and the South Island of New Zealand were unveiled this afternoon by elated scientists of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. "This snapshot of Earth will be used for decades to come," said deputy project scientist Dr. Tom Farr. Mapping operations continued smoothly into the mission's fifth day, with both radar and orbiter systems working flawlessly. By early afternoon, more than 29 million square miles had been mapped, representing more than 61 percent of the planned coverage for the mission. That's equivalent to the combined area of North America, South America and Africa. Flight controllers continue to troubleshoot a problem with a small nitrogen thruster on the end of the 200-foot-long mast, and are focusing on steps that can be implemented to conserve shuttle propellant. Several steps already have been implemented, including relaxing the requirements for maintaining the mast's attitude due to the better-than-expected stability of the mast. Additional steps are under review for their potential propellant-saving potential. Optimism is increasing that these measures will enable Endeavour to complete its planned mapping operations. Blue Team members Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri spoke with reporters from CNN, NBC's Today Show and KGO Radio in San Francisco earlier today. Voss, Mohri and Dom Gorie ended their day early this afternoon, and will be awakened to begin their sixth day on orbit at 10:14 tonight Central Time. The Red Team -- Kevin Kregel, Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele -- was awakened shortly after 10 this morning and promptly resumed mapping operations. This afternoon, Kregel and Kavandi answered questions from students at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS; Sitting Bull College in Ft. Yates, ND; and Houston High School in San Antonio, TX. This event was part of a NASA effort to encourage students to pursue careers in science, engineering and math. All of Endeavour's systems are functioning normally as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 miles. The next status report will be issued at 6 a.m. Wednesday, or as mission events warrant. STS-99 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Wednesday, February 16, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Optimism in orbit and in Mission Control that Endeavor will have enough propellant and power to complete its planned mapping of more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface continues to increase. Mission Control also told the astronauts that the EarthKAM aboard Endeavour has successfully transmitted its 1,000th image for middle school students. Scientists reported that 67.2 percent of the target area -32 million square miles - had been mapped by early Wednesday. That is equal to the area of the Americas, Africa and Australia combined. It is about 56 percent of all the Earth's land surface. More than 32.5 percent of the target area had been mapped with two passes. That 15.5 million square miles is roughly equal to the combined areas of Africa and Australia. New radar images of Brazil, South Africa and the South Island of New Zealand were released Tuesday afternoon by enthusiastic scientists who said the picture of the Earth obtained by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will be used for decades to come. EarthKAM, mounted in the overhead starboard window of Endeavour's aft flight deck, lets middle school students take pictures of the Earth. They use interactive web pages to select photos. On four previous flights, EarthKAM took more than 2,000 photos. The astronauts completed the fourth trim burn, adjusting the orbiter's altitude using the "flycast maneuver." The carefully choreographed and timed maneuver is designed to adjust Endeavour's orbit while imparting minimal stress to the 200-foot mast protruding from the cargo bay. Mapping operations continued flawlessly early Wednesday. Endeavour was gathering data on 40,000 square miles of land a minute while it was over land areas. Flight controllers continue to troubleshoot a problem with a small nitrogen thruster on the end of the 200-foot-long mast. They have implemented a number of steps to conserve the propellant used by Endeavour's reaction control system jets, which are being used to maintain the attitude of the mast in the absence of the jet. Flight controllers and crewmembers are optimistic that they will have enough propellant and power to complete their planned nine-day, nine-hour mapping operations. Blue Team members, Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri, are on duty. Earlier in his shift, Mohri took time out to talk with Japanese students in Tokyo and Kagoshima. Members of the Red Team, Pilot Kevin Kregel and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, were in their sleep period. They are scheduled to be awakened at 10:14 .m. Endeavour's systems are functioning normally as it continues to gather data for unprecedentedly accurate and unified topographical maps of the Earth. The next status report will be issued at 6 p.m. Wednesday, or as mission events warrant. On Wednesday, February 16, 2000, 6:30 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #12 reports: With growing confidence that fuel-saving measures onboard Endeavour will permit the radar mapping mission to run its full duration, flight controllers and crew members today marked the mission's mid-way point. "We're almost there," stated Milt Heflin, NASA's Deputy Chief Flight Director. Science operations progressed flawlessly through the halfway point of the 11-day mission. "You have six smiling faces up here," remarked Gerhard Thiele after being told how well the mapping was going. As of noon today, more that 73 percent, or 35 million square miles, of the target area has been mapped once. That exceeds the land area of the Americas, Africa and Australia combined. More than 38 percent of the target area - 18 million square miles - has been mapped with two or more passes. Endeavour collects data on 40,000 square miles every minute it is over land. New radar images of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, and of northwestern Mongolia were released today. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission images hold the promise of helping scientists and planners better understand such potential problems as river flooding and soil erosion. While continuing to troubleshoot the balky small thruster on the tip of Endeavour's 200-foot mast, flight controllers are implementing steps to conserve the propellant used by the orbiter's reaction control system jets to maintain the mast's attitude. With pilot Dom Gorie cycling the cold gas line, Janice Voss reported seeing a small, white object moving out of Endeavour's payload bay. The object is suspected to be a small piece of ice. The remaining Blue Team member, Mamoru Mohri, took some time out of his day to talk with students in his native country of Japan. Later today, Thiele answered questions from reporters at the German Space Operations Center in Oberpfaffenhofen. Meanwhile, EarthKam has processed 1,033 images - more than from any other shuttle mission. Using a camera mounted in Endeavour's overhead window, school students are taking pictures of the Earth. On four previous flights, EarthKam took about 2,000 photos. Endeavour's continues to provide an excellent platform for the most accurate and unified topographical mapping of the Earth ever produced. The next status report will be issued at 6 a.m. Tuesday, or as mission events warrant. STS-99 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Thursday, February 17, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #13 reports: Masses of data that will result in topographical maps far better than any now available continue to flow into high-rate recorders as Endeavour enters the second half of its Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Efforts to conserve propellant and power continue to pay off, with officials gaining more confidence that the entire nine days, nine hours of mapping operations will be completed. By early Thursday more that 77 percent or 36.4 million square miles of the target area has been mapped once. That is about equal to Asia, the Americas and Australia combined, or about twice the area of the surface of the moon. More than 20.24 million square miles has been mapped with two or more passes. Endeavour collects data on 40,000 square miles every minute it is over land. At that rate, SRTM could map an area the size of Florida in 90 seconds. Propellant for the shuttle's reaction control system jets became an issue after failure of a small cold-gas jet on the end of the almost 200-foot mast extending from Endeavour's payload bay. The small jet was designed to help control the attitude of the mast. Without the jet, the orbiter's reaction control system jets are doing the job. Their increased propellant consumption has required a number of fuel conservation steps on the orbiter to enable a complete mapping mission. Mapping operations are not affected, and scientists continue to express delight at the quality of even the rough data, sent down to confirm SRTM function. The radar gathers data at a rate about four times as fast as the orbiter can send it down. It is being collected on about 270 high-density tapes (which hold as more information than about 13,500 CDs). But even the early, rough data show scientists features not seen on today's best maps. Endeavour's Blue Team, Pilot Dom Gorie and mission specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri, is on duty until about noon Central Standard Time. Mohri is speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Hirofumi Nakasone, at 6:22 a.m. The Red Team, Commander Kevin Kregel and Mission specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, is sleeping. Its wakeup call is scheduled for 10:14 a.m. EarthKAM continued its record-breaking performance. A secondary payload mounted in an upper window on Endeavour's flight deck, EarthKAM is used by middle school students to take digital photos of the Earth's surface. It has sent down a mission record of more than 1,250 photos. On four previous flights, EarthKAM took a total of about 2,000 photos. On Thursday, February 17, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #14 reports: Propellant conservation measures have paid off and Endeavour's crew was notified this morning that the mapping operations will continue for the full nine days as planned prior to launch. "That's great news", replied Pilot Dom Gorie. "They're getting some fantastic data on this mission." As of noon today, 81 percent, or more than 39 million square miles of the target area had been mapped once. That exceeds the land area of the Americas, Africa and Australia combined. More than 47 percent of the target area - over 22 million square miles - has been mapped with two or more passes. Endeavour images 40,000 square miles of land every minute. Astronaut Chris Hadfield in Mission Control transmitted the good news to the crew aboard Endeavour while all six astronauts were awake conducting a shift change. The crew is working around the clock on two shifts conducting the detailed mapping operations. Several fuel-saving steps have been implemented, including a change in the way excess water is dumped overboard, and allowing more flexibility in holding Endeavour and the 200-foot mast in the proper attitude. The final conservation measure will be the deletion of the eighth trim burn, which controllers believe can safely be deleted by adjusting the sixth and seventh burns without a disruption to data collection. Exuberant scientists today released new radar images of the San Andreas Fault in California, the Los Angeles basin, Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains, and the island of Hokkaido, Japan, birthplace of Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri. "We're well on the way to making the best topographic map of the world ever", said Dr. Diane Evans, chief scientist in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Earth Science Office. "We are ecstatic about this data set." She said the level of detail in maps resulting from this Shuttle Radar Topography Mission should help scientists better understand earthquakes and mudflows. Science operations continued through the seventh day of the mission, with trouble-shooting a problem with one of six high data-rate recorders on board being the only issue of significance. The recorders are used to capture the masses of data collected during the SRTM mission on 270 tapes. Earlier today, Mohri spoke about the mission with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the Minister of State for Science and Technology. Later, he joined Dom Gorie and Janice Voss for interviews with The Weather Channel and two television stations. Janet Kavandi briefly joined them to send greetings to her hometown of Springfield, MO. Meanwhile, EarthKam continues its record-breaking production of images, having processed 1,355 images. The project allows school students to remotely take pictures of the Earth using a camera mounted in one of Endeavour's windows. The orbiter continues to perform smoothly and provide a solid platform for the most accurate and unified topographical mapping of the Earth ever produced. STS-99 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Friday, February 18, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #15 reports: With unprecedented detail of well over half of the world's terrain already safely stored aboard, Endeavour's crew continued mapping the Earth uninterrupted this morning, marching toward more than nine full days of radar observations thanks to successful fuel conservation measures. Early today, Endeavour completed its sixth "Flycast Maneuver" trim burn, a gentle engine firing that maintains the Shuttle's altitude at around 150 statute miles for the precise mapping work. Today's burn gave the Shuttle a slightly larger boost than previous daily firings, a measure that will allow controllers to save fuel by eliminating a subsequent firing on Sunday. The next trim burn is now planned for midday on Saturday. So far, the Space Radar Topography instruments aboard Endeavour have mapped 83 percent, or almost 40 million square miles, of the target area once, an area larger than the Americas, Africa and Australia combined. More than 50 percent of the target area, over 24 million square miles, has been mapped with two or more passes. Endeavour images 40,000 square miles of land every minute, a rate that would allow the Shuttle to map the state of Alaska in 15 minutes and the state of Rhode Island in less than two seconds. In addition to the changes in trim burns, other fuel conservation measures aboard Endeavour have included changing the way waste water is dumped overboard, slightly relaxing the spacecraft's stringent attitude control guidelines and limiting the use of some equipment. Early in the mission, the failure of a tiny thruster at the end of the 197-foot mast protruding from Endeavour's cargo bay resulted in increased use of the Shuttle's steering jets and fuel. On Thursday, flight controllers noted that the small nitrogen gas thruster on the mast now appeared to be again providing some thrust, a trend that could further improve the Shuttle's predicted fuel consumption. While the radar mapping continues, a student-operated camera mounted in one of Endavour's windows also has set a record pace. So far, the experiment, called EarthKAM, has sent down almost 1,400 photos of Earth to middle school students. On four previous shuttle flights combined, EarthKAM sent down a total of about 2,000 photos. Working around the clock, Endeavour's crew is divided into two shifts. The Blue Team -- Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri -- are now on duty. Voss and Mohri took time out from their work this morning to provide television of the high-rate recorders used for the mapping operations and a High-Definition Television Camera. The recorders use high-density tapes to capture the radar mapping data. About 270 tapes will be recorded, containing a volume of data that would fill about 13,500 CDs. The data will allow topographical maps to be created of a majority of Earth that will be several times more accurate than are available today. The HDTV camcorder aboard Endeavour is one of the first steps in NASA's transition to HDTV. The Red Team, Commander Kevin Kregel and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele, are sleeping and will awaken at 10:14 a.m. CST. The entire crew will participate in a press conference at 11:59 a.m. today, fielding questions from U.S. and Japanese reporters at NASA centers. Subsequently, Thiele, Kregel, Kavandi and Voss will take a call from German Research Minister Edelgard Buhlmann. On Friday, February 18, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #16 reports: Mission managers late this afternoon announced a nine-hour extension to the data-taking portion of the mission. That means that mapping of the Earth now will continue until about 6 a.m. Monday. Astronaut Chris Hadfield in Mission Control relayed the good news shortly before 4 p.m. to Commander Kevin Kregel and the rest of Endeavour's crew. "That's super news," Kregel replied. "I'm sure the folks at the Jet Propulsion Lab and NIMA are really ecstatic about that." As of noon today, 88 percent, or more than 42 million square miles of the target area had been mapped once. More than 57 percent of the target area - over 27 million square miles - has been mapped with two or more passes. Endeavour images 40,000 square miles of land every minute. At that rate, it can image an area the size of Rhode Island in just 2 seconds. Scientists today released radar images of the San Andreas Fault and the Rose Bowl area in southern California, the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, and the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Scientists predict that the level of detail in maps resulting from data collected during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will help scientists better understand hazards such as wildfires, lava flows, tsunamis and floods. Science operations continued smoothly through the mission's eighth day, with all radar and support hardware continuing to work better than hoped. "Everything is perfect. It's incredible," observed Marian Werner, X-SAR project manager for the German Aerospace Agency, which provided the X-band radar system used by SRTM. Earlier today, Endeavour's six astronauts gathered together for their traditional news conference, answering questions from U.S. and Japanese reporters. NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and German Research Minister Edelgard Buhlmann also congratulated the crew on the success of the mission and the potential benefits of the resulting high-resolution maps. EarthKam continues its outstanding performance. It has nearly equaled the number of images produced during its first four flights combined, with more than 1,700 images produced thus far. Endeavour continues to perform smoothly and provide a solid platform for the most accurate and unified topographical mapping of the Earth ever produced. STS-99 Flight Day 9 Highlights: On Saturday, February 19, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #17 reports: The EarthKAM, a digital camera mounted at an overhead window on Endeavour's flight deck, continues its record setting pace. A little after 4 a.m. CST Saturday flight controllers reported it had sent down more than 2,018 images, the combined total of the four previous flights on which it had flown. The camera takes pictures for middle school students. Through the Internet, their schools' mission operations centers are linked to the EarthKAM Mission Operations Center at the University of California at San Diego. Except for setup, initial camera pointing and lens changes, no crew involvement is required for normal operations. Meanwhile, flight controllers continued to successfully conserve fuel and electricity aboard Endeavour and plan an extension of the mapping work. The nine-hour extension of imaging operations means that mapping will continue until about 6 a.m. Monday. Successful completion of the 9 days, 18 hours of mapping will mean that almost all of the target area will be imaged -- only small areas of the United States, already well mapped, would be missed. The target area is the 80 percent of the Earth's land between 60 degrees north, the latitude of Hudson Bay, and 56 degrees south, Cape Horn at the tip of South America. It is home to 95 percent of the Earth's people. With the current plan, more than 99.9 percent of the area would be imaged at least once. More than 94.6 percent of it would be covered at least twice, and almost half would be imaged at least three times. Scientists reported that by early Saturday 89.6 percent of the target area, 42.7 million square miles, had been mapped once. About 60.1 percent, or 28.6 million square miles, had been imaged at least twice. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission's sophisticated radar continued to collect surface imaging data at a rate of 40,000 square miles a minute. Commander Kevin Kregel and Mission Specialists Gerhard Thiele and Janet Kavandi, the Red Team, and the Blue Team members Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri, held their crew news conference Friday. Today Kregel and Thiele will answer questions from German news media representatives and later speak with dignitaries at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Red Team is asleep and is to be awakened at 10:14 a.m. The Blue Team remains on duty until 11:59 a.m. On Saturday, February 19, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #18 reports: Following yesterday's decision by mission managers to extend mapping operations, Endeavour's astronauts are set to continue collecting data until 5:44 a.m. Central time Monday. At that point preparations will begin to stow the 200-foot-long mast for the remainder of the mission. This 9-hour extension allows for almost 100 percent of the planned coverage of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The mission's target mapping area includes about 47.6 million square miles. As of noon, 92 percent, or about 44 million square miles, of the target area had been mapped once. More than 65 percent of the target area - nearly 31 million square miles - has been mapped with two or more passes. Only 80,000 square miles of the target area, mostly in North America, will remain unmapped by the end of mapping operations. Highly accurate topographic maps of these areas already exist. Clearly elated, scientists released new images of Oahu, Molokai, Lanai and west Maui, Hawaii; Dallas, Texas; Salalah, Oman; and Tasmania, Australia. Quick-Time movies of Hokkaido, Japan, home of Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri, and of Brazil, also were released. "I have to believe that scientists all over the world are giving a standing ovation to the SRTM team," observed Dr. Jeffrey Plaut, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He said that maps resulting from SRTM data would help archaeologists study ancient cultures and the lands they inhabited, and better understand the reasons for their demise. Science operations continued on schedule through the mission's ninth day, with all radar and orbiter systems continuing to work smoothly. Endeavour's crew carried out the seventh trim burn of the mission earlier today. This "flycast maneuver" keeps the spacecraft at the proper altitude for mapping and is designed to reduce the stresses on the mast and minimize the loads at the tip. This was the last flycast maneuver planned during the mission. Earlier today, Commander Kevin Kregel and European Space Agency astronaut Gerhard Thiele spoke to reporters gathered at the German Space Operations Center in Oberpfaffenhofen and in Munich. At 7:14 p.m., the crew will send greetings to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the world's largest. Endeavour's systems continue to perform flawlessly as it circles the Earth at an altitude of about 150 statute miles. STS-99 Flight Day 10 Highlights: On Sunday, February 20, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #19 reports: Endeavour's astronauts are looking forward to using one more small bonus in mapping operations time. They were given an additional 10 minutes, bringing the total to nine days, 18 hours and 10 minutes. The additional minutes have been added to allow one more mapping pass across Australia, rather than turning off the radar just as the spacecraft approaches the nation's coastline. So far, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission has imaged 44.7 million square miles, or about 93.9 percent of the target area, at least once. About 33.4 million square miles or 70.1 percent of the target area has been imaged at least twice. The target area extends from 60 degrees north latitude to 56 degrees south latitude. That covers all the Southern Hemisphere landmasses except Antarctica and Northern Hemisphere land south of Hudson Bay and St. Petersburg, Russia. It is home to about 95 percent of Earth's population. At the scheduled end of mapping operations, more than 99.9 percent of the area will have been imaged at least once. More than 94.6 percent of it will be covered at least twice, and almost half will be imaged at least three times. All but about 80,000 square miles of targeted land will have been covered. The areas that will not be covered are in small, scattered segments, mostly in North America and most of them already accurately mapped. Endeavour's radar, gathering data in 140-mile-wide swaths as the spacecraft orbits at 17,500 miles per hour, images 40,000 square miles each hour. Data from this mission will, after a year or more of processing, produce the most accurate and most uniform global topography maps ever made. EarthKAM, a digital camera mounted at an overhead window on Endeavour's flight deck, has sent down about 2,200 images so far, and the number is growing. On four previous shuttle flights, EarthKAM sent down a total of 2,018 images. The camera takes pictures for middle school students working on projects in Earth science, geography, space sciences and other topics. Through the Internet, their schools' mission operations centers are linked to the EarthKAM Mission Operations Center at the University of California at San Diego, which sends up photo targets and receives the images. Except for setup, initial camera pointing and lens changes, no crew involvement is required for normal operations. On Saturday, Endeavour's crew carried out the seventh and final trim burn and flycast maneuver of the flight. The maneuver keeps the spacecraft at the proper altitude for mapping and is designed to reduce the stresses on the mast and minimize the loads at the tip. Blue Team members, Pilot Dom Gorie and Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Mamoru Mohri, are on duty and continue mapping operations. Commander Kevin Kregel and Mission Specialists Gerhard Thiele and Janet Kavandi, the Red Team, are sleeping. They are to be awakened at 10:14 a.m. CST. Endeavour's systems continue to perform well as it orbits about 150 statute miles above the surface. The next status report will be issued at 6 p.m. Sunday, or as mission events warrant. On Sunday, February 20, 2000, 6:30 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #20 reports: Earth radar mapping continues smoothly on its last full day with Endeavour's crew scheduled to wrap up operations early Monday morning at 5:53 Central Time. As of noon today, 99 percent, or about 47 million square miles of the target area had been mapped once. More than 87 percent of the target area - nearly 42 million square miles - has been mapped twice. With another 10 minutes added to mapping operations, complete mapping of Australia will be completed with Flinders Island on the northeast corner of Tasmania being the final area mapped. Stowage of the 200-foot-long mast is set to begin at 7:14 a.m. By 7:50 tomorrow morning, the radar system and pallet should be deactivated. The additional 10 minutes of mapping brings the total imaging time to nine days, 18 hours, 10 minutes, which equates to 99.96 percent of the planned coverage area being mapped during the mission. The coverage area extends from Hudson Bay in the north to the tip of South America, an area equal to 47.6 million square miles. Only 80,000 square miles of the target area - about the size of West Virginia - will remain unmapped by the end of mapping operations. However, the majority of this unmapped area is in North America and already has been accurately mapped. Images released today included Oahu, Hawaii; Miquelon Island and St. Pierre Island, Newfoundland; Kamchatka, Russia; and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany (home of the German Aerospace Agency). Other new images showed Katmandu, Nepal; Cotopaxi, Ecuador; and Baikal, Russia. Data of volcanic sites around the world, such as Hawaii and Kamchatka, will be useful for studying the history of volcanic activity in dormant volcanoes, as well as for hazard preparedness in active volcanic areas. Areas mapped today include Yellowstone National Park; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; and Ayers Rock, Australia. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission program scientist Dr. Earnest Paylor described the mission as "a magnificent accomplishment," noting that equatorial regions of the Earth previously unmapped due to constant cloud cover have been mapped by SRTM radar. Tom Hennig, SRTM program manager for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, called the success of the mission "absolutely wonderful." Tomorrow, Endeavour's crew turns its attention to returning home, with landing scheduled for 3:52 Central Time Tuesday afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Check out of the flight control surfaces and orbiter thruster jets is scheduled to begin at noon. After the orbiter systems checks are complete, the crew will begin stowing the cabin for Tuesday's landing. STS-99 Flight Day 11 Highlights: On Monday, February 21, 2000, 10:30 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #21 reports: Endeavour's astronauts finished their successful Shuttle Radar Topography Mission mapping operations early Monday, then retracted the system's 200-foot mast into its payload bay canister. The mast, the longest rigid structure ever deployed in space, supported the external antenna structure during more than 222 hours of data gathering that mapped almost 100 percent of all planned sites around the world. The mast folded smoothly into its nine-foot-long canister in Endeavour's payload bay during the 18 minute retraction operation that astronauts began at 7:17 a.m. Central Time. The crew flipped the outboard antenna structure over to its stowed position, then began retracting the mast itself. As each of the 86 bays of the mast entered the canister, the bay's corners were captured in spiraling grooves inside the canister, much like those in a rifle barrel. Completion of the final portion of stowing the SRTM mast was delayed when the three latches on the lid of the mast canister failed to engage as expected. Suspecting that the cold thermal temperatures the mast experienced while deployed were reducing the flexibility of the system, flight controllers had the astronauts work procedures to warm up the mast canister while increasing the torque pull of the canister motors. The efforts of Endeavour's crew and Mission Control were rewarded at 9:50 a.m. Central time when all three latches on the mast canister closed, securing the SRTM payload for the ride home to Earth. Radar data gathering concluded at 5:54 a.m. after a final sweep across Australia. During 222 hours and 23 minutes of mapping, Endeavour's radar images filled 332 high density tapes and covered 99.98 percent of the planned mapping area - land between 60 degrees north latitude and 56 degrees south latitude - at least once and 94.6 percent of it twice. Only about 80,000 square miles in scattered areas remained unimaged, most of them in North America and most already well mapped by other methods. Enough data were gathered to fill the equivalent of 20,000 CD's. The EarthKAM, a digital camera mounted at an overhead window on Endeavour's flight deck, has been shut down for the remainder of the flight, after sending to Earth about 2,600 digital images of the planet's surface. On four previous shuttle flights EarthKAM sent down a total of 2,018 images. Later today, Endeavour's crew will turn its attention to returning home. Check out of the flight control surfaces and orbiter thruster jets is scheduled to begin at noon. After the orbiter systems checks are complete, the crew will begin stowing the cabin for tomorrow's return to the Kennedy Space Center with landing scheduled for 3:50 p.m. Central Time Tuesday. On Monday, February 21, 2000, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #22 reports: With mapping operations complete and Endeavour's radar mapping hardware stowed, astronauts today conducted checks of various flight control surfaces and thruster jets in preparation for tomorrow's return to Earth. After wrapping up mapping operations at 5:54 a.m. Central time today with a final pass over Australia, Endeavour's crew retracted the 200-foot mast into its payload bay canister. The mast, the longest rigid structure ever deployed in space, supported the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission's external antenna structure during more than 222 hours of data gathering. Mast retraction proceeded smoothly as each of its 87 external sections, or bays, folded into the nine-foot-long canister during the 18-minute retraction procedure. Final mast stowage was delayed when the three latches on the lid of the mast canister failed to engage as expected. The first two efforts failed to secure the latches, but the third attempt succeeded and all three latches on the mast canister were activated at 9:50 a.m. Central time. The SRTM mapped almost 100 percent of all planned sites around the world, a total area of more than 47.6 million square miles. The area mapped four times represents more than twice the area of the United States. SRTM project scientist Dr. Mike Kobrick called SRTM "a truly outstanding achievement." New images released today showed Fiji; the San Francisco Bay area; Pasadena, CA; the San Andreas Fault near Palmdale, CA; and an animated fly-around from Pasadena to Palmdale along the San Andreas Fault. This afternoon, Commander Kevin Kregel, Pilot Dom Gorie and flight engineer Janet Kavandi tested Endeavour's flight control surfaces and reaction control system thrusters. Deactivation and stowage of radar mapping hardware and the Ku antenna were completed, and members of the Red Team - Kregel, Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele - began cabin stowage. The Blue Team - Gorie, payload commander Janice Voss and Japanese astronaut Mamoru Mohri - will complete stowage tomorrow morning. The Blue Team began its sleep period at 5:44 p.m., and will be awakened at 1:14 a.m. Tuesday. There are three landing opportunities available tomorrow, two at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the third at Edwards, CA. The first opportunity would bring Endeavour back to KSC at 3:50 p.m. Central. There is another opportunity one orbit later, with a KSC landing at 5:22 p.m. Central. The third opportunity would see Endeavour land at Edwards at 6:48 p.m. Central time. The previous 20 shuttle missions have ended with landings at KSC. The last Edwards landing was STS-76 in March 1996. The primary concerns for a KSC landing are strong crosswinds and a low layer of clouds. Weather conditions at KSC are not expected to improve Wednesday or Thursday, and are expected to deteriorate at Edwards after Tuesday. STS-99 Flight Day 12 Highlights: On Tuesday, February 22, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #23 reports: Endeavour's crew is preparing for a return home today, working toward a touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 3:50 p.m. CST, the first of three landing opportunities. A second opportunity to land in Florida is available with a touchdown at 5:22 p.m. CST. Endeavour also may land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, with a touchdown at 6:48 p.m. CST. Flight controllers are closely monitoring the weather at the Kennedy Space Center and at Edwards Air Force Base. High winds and possible cloud cover are forecast for Kennedy that could prohibit a landing there. The forecast for Edwards calls for acceptable landing weather. To land on the first opportunity to Florida, Endeavour would fire its engines to begin its descent at 2:53 p.m. CST. For the second Florida landing opportunity, Endeavour would fire its engines at 4:24 p.m. to leave orbit. For a landing in California, Endeavour would fire its engines at 5:51 p.m. CST. Along with the six astronauts, aboard Endeavour are 332 high-density tapes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission containing data that will be used to produce global maps more accurate and more unified than any available today. During 222 hours and 23 minutes of operation, Endeavour's radar covered 99.98 percent of the planned mapping area - land between 60 degrees north latitude and 56 degrees south latitude - at least once. About 94.6 percent of it was covered twice. Only about 80,000 square miles in scattered areas remained unimaged, most of them in North America and most already well mapped by other methods. The data on the tapes would fill about 20,000 CD's. The total area mapped is more than 47.6 million square miles. Also aboard Endeavour is a student experiment called EarthKAM which took 2,715 digital photos during the mission through an overhead flight-deck window. The NASA-sponsored program lets middle school students select photo targets and receive the images via the Internet. The pictures are used in classroom projects on Earth science, geography, mathematics and space science. More than 75 middle schools around the world participated in the experiment, which set a record. On four previous flights combined, EarthKAM sent down a total of 2,018 images. The last Space Shuttle mission to land at Edwards was STS-76 in March 1996. Since then, 20 missions have landed at Kennedy. The next status report will be issued Tuesday after landing or as events warrant. On Tuesday, February 22, 2000, 5:30 p.m. CST, STS-99 MCC Status Report #24 reports: The six astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour glided to a smooth landing at the Kennedy Space Center at sunset today, wrapping up their 11-day radar mapping mission, the first human space flight of the 21st century. With Commander Kevin Kregel at the controls, Endeavour touched down at 5:22 p.m Central time on Runway 33 at the three mile long Shuttle Landing Facility to complete a mission spanning almost 4.7 million statute miles. Pilot Dom Gorie, Flight Engineer Janet Kavandi and Mission Specialist Janice Voss joined Kregel on the flight deck for entry and landing. Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri from NASDA, the Japanese space agency, and European Space Agency astronaut Gerhard Thiele were seated down in the middeck. The end of the STS-99 mission marked the 21st consecutive landing at the Florida spaceport. After waving off the first landing opportunity of the day because of high cross winds at the landing site, the crew was given a "go" to perform the deorbit burn which came at 4:24 p.m. Central time and caused Endeavour to fall out of it's 150 statute mile high orbit to start the journey home to the Kennedy Space Center. The data brought home by Endeavour's crew was collected during more than 222 hours of around-the-clock radar mapping operations and is enough to fill more than 20,000 CDs. The information gathered on the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will be used to produce global maps more accurate than any available today. The STS-99 crew will spend the evening in Florida before returning to Houston on Wednesday. The crew should land at Ellington Field in Houston near the Johnson Space Center at about 1:30 p.m. Centrl time where the six astronauts will be greeted by JSC management and center employees. The crew return ceremony will occur at Hangar 990 and is open to the general public. It will not be broadcast on NASA Television. Further updates on the time of the crew return ceremony can be obtained by calling the JSC newsroom at 281/483-5111 on Wednesday morning after 10:30 a.m. Mission Name: STS-101 (98) Atlantis (21) Pad 39-A (45) 98th Shuttle Mission 21st Flight OV-104 1st launch glass cockpit Night Launch (24) KSC Landing (51) Night Landing (14) KSC Night Landing (9) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: James D. Halsell, Jr. (5) Mission Commander Scott J. Horowitz (3), Pilot Mary Ellen Weber (2), Mission Specialist Jeffrey N. Williams (1), Mission Specialist James S. Voss (4), Mission Specialist Susan J. Helms (4), Mission Specialist Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev (3), (RUSSIA) Mission Specialist Milestones: OPF -- 09/28/98 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/29/1998) VAB -- PAD -- 03/25/00 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/29/2000) Payload: Space Station Assembly Flight ISS-2A-2a (SPACEHAB/DM,ICC) Mission Objectives: The primary mission objectives for STS-101 is to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, perform a spacewalk and then reboost the station from 230 statute miles to 250 statute miles. Detailed objectives include ISS ingress/safety to take air samples, monitor carbon dioxide, deploy portable, personal fans, measure air flow, rework/modify ISS ducting, replace air filters, replace Zarya fire extinguishers and smoke detectors. Critical replacements, repairs and spares will also be done to replace four suspect batteries on Zarya, replace failed or suspect electronics for Zarya's batteries, replace Radio Telemetry System memory unit, replace port early communications antenna, replace Radio Frequency Power Distribution Box and clear Space Vision System target. The mission also includes incremental assembly/upgrades such as assembly of Strela crane, installation of additional exterior handrails, set up of center-line camera cable, installation of "Komparus" cable inserts and reseating the U.S. crane. Assembly parts, tools and equipment will also be transfered to the station and equipment stowed for future missions. The station will also be resuppled with water, a docking mechanism accessory kit, film and video tape for documentation, office supplies and personal items. Crew health maintenance items will also be transfered including exercise equipment, medical support supplies, formaldehyde monitor kit and a passive dosimetry system. If there is sufficient shuttle propellant following Atlantis' undocking from the ISS, a flyaround inspection will be performed prior to the Shuttle's final separation maneuver. Launch: Launch May 19, 2000 6:11 a.m. EDT. Launch window was 5 min On Friday, May 19, 2000 1:12 a.m. EDT, the crew had their pre-flight snack in the Operations and Checkout Building. At 2:20 a.m EDT, they departed the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) for Launch Pad 39-A. By 3:40 a.m. EDT, all communication checks between the Atlantis and the ground were completed and at 3:56 a.m. EDT, the hatch was closed and locked for flight. At 4:48 a.m. the white room crew closeout was complete and the closeout crew departed for the fallback area. Launched ontime at the opening of the window. On Wednesday, May 17, 2000, launch controllers added 23 1/2 hours to the launch count at the T-11 hour built-in hold, slipping the launch of Shuttle Atlantis to Friday at about 6:12 a.m. The decision followed a Tuesday evening postponement of the Air Force Atlas III launch and was part of an preplanned agreement between NASA and the Air Force. The Rotating Service Structure at the pad will move away from the vehicle at about 10 a.m. on Thursday. Loading of the external tank with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid propellant begins at about 8:47 p.m. 5/18/2000. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/17/2000) On Tuesday, May 16, 2000, the launch date was rescheduled for Friday, May 19th, due to the scrub of the Atlas III/EUTELSAT launch. On Monday, May 15, 2000, the countdown clock picked up the count at the T-43 hour mark at 9:30 a.m. The seven member flight crew arrived at KSC on Sunday, May 14, 2000. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/10/2000) At 6:03 a.m. EDT on Wednesday April 26, fueling of the external tank began for the 3rd consecutive launch attempt and was completed at the T-minus 3 hour 20 minute mark at 9:11 a.m. EDT. At 9:31 a.m. EDT a red repair team was sent to the launch pad to restore redundancy to a heater system located in the base of the pad used to recirculate air as part of the liquid oxygen gaseous vent arm system. The crew replaced a blown fuse. At 10:29 a.m. EDT the crew sat down for a crew breakfast in the O&C building and prepared for a weather briefing. At 11:13 a.m. EDT, the weather briefing concluded with favorable weather forcasted at the launch site but marginal weather forcasted at the contigency landing sites. At 11:14 a.m. EDT, the crew began suit up operations. At 11:39 a.m. EDT, the crew departed the astronauts quarters and left for launch pad 39A. By 2:06 p.m. EDT the crew were all in their seats, the hatch closed and comm checks complete. At 2:24pm EDT (18:24 GMT) the countdown clock came out of the hold at the T-minus 20 minute mark and counted down to T-minus 9 minutes and holding. The mission management team was polled and the only issue being tracked was weather concerns at the TAL sites. During the hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark, the mission management team decided to scrub the 3:29 pm launch attempt for 4/26/2000 due to weather constraints at the TAL sites. At 6:30 a.m. on April 25, 2000, fueling of the external tank began in order to support a launch attempt at 3:52 pm. Communication checks were complete with the crew at 1:16pm EDT. At 1:24pm EDT a go was given to close the hatch. At 2:18pm EDT, at the T-minus 38 minute mark, Launch director Dave King called a scrub due to high winds at the SLS and launch pad. The launch team was told to prepare for a 24 hour scrub turnaround. At 4:07 p.m. the call was given to scrub the launch attempt for April 24, 2000, because of a cross wind violation at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). A weather briefing will be conducting in order to determine if a 24, or a 48 hour scrub turn around would offer better weather conditions for the next launch attempt. At 2:04 pm on Monday, April 24, 2000. The hatch to Atlantis was closed in preparation for an on time launch at 4:15 PM EDT. The launch window is 5 minutes and 2 seconds. Therefore, the last opportunity for launch today will be at 4:22:19pm EDT. On Wednesday, April 19, 2000. Prelaunch processing efforts are going well at Launch Pad 39A. Ordnance installation and preliminary tests are complete. Last night, workers replaced two quick disconnects on gaseous nitrogen lines for auxiliary power units (APU) No. 1 and No. 2. The APU flight pressurization tests are complete and good. Pressure tests on the orbiter's reaction control system are also complete. Orbiter aft engine compartment close-outs are ongoing and managers expect the aft doors to be installed Friday. Launch controllers continue countdown preparations in the Launch Control Center. The crew arrives April 21 at 3 p.m. EDT and launch countdown begins at 7 p.m. on the same day. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/19/2000) Over the weekend (April 15-16,2000), Shuttle engineers completed the frequency response test that was required after the rudder/speed brake power drive unit replacement effort. Preliminary evaluation indicates that Shuttle Atlantis' hydraulic system is operating normally and that the PDU replacement was a success. Shuttle engineers continue to analyze the cause of the initial PDU failure to ensure that it was an isolated incident. At about 1 a.m. today, engineers completed a hot fire test of auxiliary power unit (APU) No. 1 confirming a successful hydraulic flex hose replacement. Tomorrow, technicians will also replace a quick disconnect located on an APU No. 2 gaseous nitrogen line. All three APUs will be brought up to flight pressure on Wednesday as part of standard prelaunch testing. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/17/2000) On Wednesday, March 29, 2000, program managers have selected April 24 as the target launch date for STS-101. This one-week delay will allow Mission Commander Jim Halsell to complete planned training activities, primarily T-38 and Shuttle Training Aircraft flights, which were delayed due to an ankle injury that occurred on March 15. Today's decision, made at the request of Halsell's management, provides additional time to complete that training prior to the scheduled launch. Halsell's recovery from what was termed a "moderate sprain" has been proceeding on or ahead of schedule. He will be evaluated for T-38 and Shuttle Training Aircraft flight status next week. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/29/2000) On Saturday, March 25, 2000, Shuttle Discovery was rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. Main engine No. 1 leak checks are complete and the Flight Readiness Test is in work today. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test at KSC remains targeted for April 6 and 7. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/29/2000) On Friday, February 18, 2000, Atlantis' main propulsion system leak checks are complete. Today work began to install the transfer tunnel adapter in the orbiter's payload bay. Orbiter electrical wiring inspection, repair and protection continue. Managers named a modified STS-101 crew today to prepare the space station for the arrival of the Zvezda service module. The STS-101 crew includes Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz, and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeffrey Williams, James Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev. Edward Tsang Lu, Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko, and Boris Morukov had previously been assigned to the mission. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 2/18/2000) On Wednesday, January 26, 2000, This week, technicians removed a thruster from Atlantis' orbiter maneuvering system and installation of the new thruster is under way. Ammonia system leak and functional testing continues. Orbiter fuel cell tests are also ongoing. Wiring inspections and repairs continue in the orbiter's aft and midbody compartments. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 1/26/2000) On Friday, October 29, 1999, Shuttle managers announced that the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-101 will occur no earlier than March 16. The wiring inspections and repair efforts that remaining on the orbiter, along with the unplanned replacement of the ammonia boiler will require time to accommodate the Shuttle's processing needs. Inspections of Atlantis' ammonia boiler this week revealed corrosion, which lead to the replacement decision. Evaluation of the orbiter's damaged elevons continues. The damaged parts will be replaced over the next several days with no additional impact to the schedule. Installation of the right hand orbital maneuvering system pod occurs this week (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/29/1999) On Thursday, October 7, 1999, with wiring inspections and repairs of Discovery and Endeavour nearing completion and similar work beginning on Atlantis, Shuttle program managers set new planning target launch dates for the next three Space Shuttle missions. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/7/1999) Orbiter Atlantis is being temporarily stored in VAB high bay 2, awaiting the departure of Shuttle Endeavour from OPF bay 2. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/12/1999) On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Atlantis is under going standard life support system leak checks this week in OPF bay 3. Payload bay liner modifications continue. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 4/20/1999) Orbit: Altitude: 173 nm Inclination: 51.6 Orbits: Duration: 9 days, 21 hours, 10 minutes, 10 seconds. Distance: miles Hardware: SRB: BIO-98 SRM: RSRM-70 ET : SN-100 MLP : 1 SSME-1: SN- SSME-2: SN- SSME-3: SN- Landing: May 29, 2000 KSC 2:20 a.m. EDT Runway 15. Main Gear Touchdown at MET 9 days 20 hours 9 minutes 8 seconds(02:20:17 EDT). Nose Gear touchdown at MET 9 days 20 hours 9 minutes 51 seconds (02:20:30 EDT). Wheel Stop at MET 9 days 21 hours 10 minutes 10 seconds (02:21:19 EDT). At 12:49 a.m. EDT, a go was given by Mission Control in Houston for a deorbit burn for the first of two landing opportunities that will bring Atlantis home on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center. The burn will begin at 1:12 a.m. and will be 3 minutes and 5 seconds in duration. At 10:37 p.m. EDT, the payload bay doors were confirmed closed. At 10:25 p.m. EDT, a go was given to Atlantis to close the payload bay doors in preparation for a landing at 2:20 a.m. EDT. Mission Highlights: STS-101 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Friday, May 19, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #01 reports: With dawn's first light glimmering above, six American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center to pay a "home improvement" house call on the fledgling International Space Station. Riding aboard the upgraded and refurbished space Shuttle Atlantis, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev rocketed away from their Florida launch site at 5:11 a.m. Central time, a pre-dawn launch by Shuttle standards. Atlantis quickly rose into daylight as it raced up the Eastern seaboard in pursuit of the 76-foot long, 35-ton international station, which was flying over the Ukraine, southwest of Kiev. The launch was Atlantis' first since September 1997. Atlantis recently underwent major modifications, including the introduction of a state-of-the-art, hi-tech glass cockpit filled with computer displays to replace the old cockpit dials and switches. Atlantis launched on time after three delays last month caused by high winds at the launch site and at overseas emergency landing strips. Today, conditions were perfect. Atlantis is scheduled to link up to the space station at 11:31 p.m. Central time Saturday night (12:31 a.m. Eastern time Sunday morning). Once on orbit, Atlantis' crew began to set up shuttle systems for the planned 10-day mission, preparing to open the ship's cargo bay doors, which will be followed by the activation of the double Spacehab module housed in the rear of the cargo bay, containing more than a ton of supplies the crew will transfer to the station. The astronauts will begin their first eight-hour sleep period just five hours after liftoff, at 10:11 a.m. Central time, and will be awakened at 6:11 p.m. this evening to begin their first full day in orbit. Prior to the start of that sleep period, Halsell and Horowitz will fire Atlantis' maneuvering jets in the first of a series of maneuvers designed to put the shuttle on a precise course to the International Space Station. After the first rendezvous maneuver, Atlantis will be circling the Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit of about 201 by 124 statute miles, inclined 51.6 degrees to either side of the equator. The next STS-101 status report will be issued at around 7:00 p.m. Central time Friday unless developments warrant. On Friday, May 19, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #02 reports: The crew of STS-101 was awakened just after 6 p.m. to Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'," played for Mission Specialist Susan Helms. Once awake, Atlantis' seven-member crew began preparing for its first full day on orbit to ready the vehicle for tomorrow night's docking with the International Space Station and a spacewalk Sunday night. Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev will spend much of the day checking out orbiter systems and spacewalking equipment, while continuing to slowly close in on the station through a series of calculated rendezvous maneuvers. The crew will examine and prepare the tools required to support rendezvous and docking operations as well as perform checks of the extravehicular mobility units, or space suits, that will be used by Williams and Voss during the planned spacewalk Sunday night into Monday morning. Both suits are checked far enough ahead of the spacewalk to ensure good working condition in plenty of time to allow for any required troubleshooting work by the specialists on the ground. Also tonight and into tomorrow, Halsell will assist Weber in testing Atlantis' mechanical arm, checking its operation while conducting a video survey of the payload bay. This procedure will make certain the arm is functioning properly to support the spacewalk. Atlantis is currently in a highly elliptical orbit of 199 x 98 statute miles. At about 7 o'clock this evening, Central time, the shuttle was a little over 2,700 s.m. behind the station, closing in at a rate of about 546 s.m. miles every 90 minutes. The next STS-101 mission status report will be issued at 7 a.m. Central Saturday, or as events warrant. STS-101 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Saturday, May 20, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #03 reports: Atlantis' crew spent a smooth day in space checking equipment in preparation for upcoming activities: docking with the International Space Station late tonight; a spacewalk planned for late Sunday; and the transfer of over a ton of equipment to the station that will begin late Monday. Atlantis' Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz tested the navigation equipment and flight controls they will use late tonight to rendezvous with and then dock to the station. They also fired Atlantis' engines periodically to adjust the rate at which the Shuttle is closing in on the station. Atlantis is 430 statute miles behind the station now, closing in 30 statute miles with each orbit of Earth. Atlantis will continue that closing rate throughout the day while the crew sleeps. During an engine firing Friday evening using both large orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines on Atlantis, flight controllers saw an indication that one of two propellant valves for the left OMS engine may have failed to close. The engine's backup valve did operate normally, and the engine remains in good operating condition. However, as a precaution, the left engine will not be used again until Atlantis is ready to deorbit at the completion of the flight. Controllers are continuing to analyze the information and are uncertain if the valve actually did not operate properly or whether the indication may have been an errant sensor reading. The right OMS engine alone can be used for large rendezvous engine firings with no impact on the mission. Astronauts Jeff Williams and Jim Voss checked the spacesuits and equipment they will use during the upcoming spacewalk, finding them in good shape. Three suits -- one for Williams, one for Voss and a spare, which could be used by either -- were checked out aboard Atlantis. Williams and Voss were assisted in the checks by Horowitz, who will coordinate the spacewalk activities from within the cabin. Later, fellow crew member Mary Ellen Weber successfully tested the Shuttle's robotic arm. Weber will operate the arm during the spacewalk to maneuver Williams and Voss between Atlantis and the station. Weber uncradled the arm this morning and used it to survey the Shuttle's payload bay. Later, Weber powered on the docking system Atlantis will use to attach to the station and extended the system's docking ring. The ring latches onto the station when the Shuttle makes contact and is then retracted to secure the two spacecraft together. The crew will begin a sleep period at 8:11 a.m. and awaken at 4:11 p.m.. At 8:39 p.m., with Atlantis trailing the International Space Station by about 50,000 feet, Halsell will fire the Shuttle's engines to initiate the final phase of the rendezvous. Just before 10 p.m., as Atlantis reaches a point about a half-mile below the station, Halsell will take over manual control of the approach. He will reach a distance of about 170 feet from the station at 10:39 p.m. Docking is expected at about 11:31 p.m. Atlantis is in an orbit with a high point of 204 miles and a low point of 199 miles, circling Earth every 90 minutes. On Saturday, May 20, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #04 reports: Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 4:11 p.m. Central today to the song "Still Shining" by Bob Seger in honor of tonight's rendezvous with the International Space Station. STS-101 Mission Commander Jim Halsell will guide Atlantis to the second Shuttle docking with the International Space Station late this evening. Atlantis is planned to dock with the station at 11:31 p.m. Central. As of about 6:30 p.m. this evening, the Shuttle trailed the station by about 70 nautical miles and was closing in by about 14 nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. The final phase of rendezvous will begin when Atlantis reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station and fires its engines in a terminal phase initiation burn at 8:39 p.m. Central. The TI burn, as it is called, will put the Shuttle on a course directly toward the station during the next orbit of Earth. As Atlantis moves within about a half-mile of the station, Halsell will take over manual control of the Shuttle's approach, flying the Shuttle from controls in the aft cockpit. Atlantis will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station about 10:09 p.m. Central, and Halsell then will begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Atlantis will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it about 10:34 p.m. Central. Halsell will then begin to descend toward the station and, at about 10:38 p.m. Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Halsell will maintain that distance for about 20 minutes to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations before continuing the approach. At 11:20 p.m., Halsell will hold position again briefly at a point about 30 feet from the station to ensure the Shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 11 minutes later with the Shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second. During the rendezvous, Pilot Scott Horowitz will assist Halsell in controlling Atlantis' approach. Mission Specialists Susan Helms and Yury Usachev also will assist with the rendezvous and docking, with Mary Ellen Weber and Jeff Williams operating the Shuttle's docking mechanism. After docking, a hatch leak check will be performed and the astronauts will review plans for Sunday night's scheduled space walk by Williams and Jim Voss. Atlantis' crew will not open the hatch to the Unity module and enter the station until Monday evening, 24 hours after the spacewalk is completed. The next mission status report will be issued about 4 a.m. Central on Sunday. STS-101 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Sunday, May 21, 2000, 4:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #05 reports: Flying five miles a second above the Ukraine, Commander Jim Halsell gently pulled the Shuttle Atlantis into port last night, flawlessly latching his 200-ton spacecraft to the 35-ton International Space Station for a five-day stay. Halsell and his crew performed the rendezvous and docking with the station by the book, docking on target at 11:31 p.m. CDT Saturday. Although Atlantis is now firmly attached to the station, the astronauts will not enter the new outpost until Monday, turning their immediate attention instead to a six and half-hour spacewalk to begin late tonight. Astronauts Jim Voss and Jeff Williams will perform tonight's spacewalk to install the final part of a Russian-built crane on the station's exterior; replace a faulty communications antenna; and install various cables and handrails. Following the docking, Voss and Williams spent several hours this morning preparing the tools and equipment they will use for the sojourn outside and double-checking the spacewalk plans with the rest of the crew. The crew also lowered the air pressure inside Atlantis from the standard sea-level pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch to 10.2 pounds per square inch, a pressure equivalent to that felt at an altitude of 10,000 feet on Earth. The lower cabin pressure helps Voss and Williams purge nitrogen from their bodies to avoid decompression sickness when they go to the 4.2 pounds per square inch, pure oxygen atmosphere of the spacesuits this evening. The International Space Station remains in good condition, ready for the crew to enter on Monday to start several days of maintenance and unloading of supplies. As the crew's waking hours wound down early this morning, Mary Ellen Weber, who will oversee much of the transfer of equipment, and Halsell made some early preparations of the docking system for the eventual entry into the station. The crew will begin a sleep period at 8:11 a.m. and awaken at 4:11 p.m. for a fourth day in space, a day devoted to the spacewalk. Voss and Williams are planned to begin donning their gear and suits at 6:11 p.m., leading to a predicted exit from Atlantis' airlock hatch at 9:31 p.m. During the spacewalk, Williams' suit will be distinguishable from Voss' suit by red stripes around the legs. The astronauts are scheduled to conclude the spacewalk at 4:01 a.m. Monday. Atlantis is operating well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. today. On Sunday, May 21, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #06 reports: The seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis were awakened at 4:11 p.m. CDT to the song ^ÓLookin^Ò Out the Window^Ô by Stevie Ray Vaughn and are now busy with preparations for tonight^Òs spacewalk which is scheduled to begin about 9:15 p.m. CDT. Mission Specialists Jeff Williams and Jim Voss will have several tasks as part of the planned six and a half hour extravehicular activity, or EVA, this evening. They will inspect and then secure a U.S.-built cargo crane known as the Orbital replacement unit Transfer Device that originally was installed during a spacewalk on the STS-96 mission in June 1999. Williams and Voss then will complete assembly of a Russian cargo crane called Strela (Russian for ^Óarrow^Ô) that was begun on a spacewalk during STS-96. Strela will be placed on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 that connects the Unity node to the Zarya control module in the same vicinity as the American crane. The two spacewalkers then will turn their attention to replacing one of Unity's two early communication antennas. That antenna has been experiencing some problems. Williams and Voss then will move on to their final EVA task with the installation of eight handrails on the station's exterior. This is part of some get ahead work for two upcoming assembly flights -- STS-92 in late September and STS-97 in January 2001. The STS-92 crew will install the Z-1 truss structure, and the STS-97 crew will deliver the U.S. Laboratory module. If all activities go as planned, the spacewalk should conclude about 3:45 a.m. CDT. Monday. During tonight^Òs EVA activity, Williams will be identifiable by red stripes on the arms and legs of his spacesuit while Voss^Ò spacesuit will be solid white. Tonight^Òs EVA will mark the 85th spacewalk in U.S. history and the fifth dedicated to assembly of the International Space Station. To date, Shuttle astronauts have performed almost 300 hours of EVAs (297 hours, 53 minutes). The duration of the four previous station assembly spacewalks is 29 hours, 17 minutes. Atlantis is operating well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are docked in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 5:00 a.m. on Monday. STS-101 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Monday, May 22, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #07 reports: Astronauts Jim Voss and Jeff Williams spent over six hours outside the Space Shuttle Atlantis this morning, completing a variety of planned assembly and maintenance tasks on the International Space Station with ease. Voss and Williams started the spacewalk early and remained ahead of schedule throughout. The astronauts secured a United States-built crane that was installed on the station last year; installed the final parts of a Russian-built crane on the station; replaced a faulty antenna for one of the station's communications systems; and installed several handrails and a camera cable on the station's exterior. The six-hour, 44-minute spacewalk began at 8:48 p.m. CDT Sunday and was completed at 3:32 a.m. CDT today. Assisting with the activities from inside Atlantis' cabin was Pilot Scott Horowitz while Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber operated the Shuttle's robotic arm, which she used to maneuver Voss during much of the spacewalk. The extravehicular activity conducted by Voss and Williams marks the fifth spacewalk conducted for construction of the International Space Station; the 49th spacewalk based out of the Space Shuttle; and the 85th spacewalk in history conducted by U.S. astronauts. The crew's attention now turns to entering the station, a process planned to begin at 7:11 p.m. today. The astronauts will open a total of six hatches as they move through the station's compartments. The first hatch into the station's Unity connecting module will be opened about 7:56 p.m. and the first hatch into the Zarya module will be opened about 9:11 p.m. Once inside the station, the crew will begin transferring equipment and performing maintenance work immediately. Replacement of four batteries in the Zarya will begin about 11:31 p.m., with astronaut Susan Helms and cosmonaut Yury Usachev scheduled to install two new batteries and their associated electronics. Helms and Usachev will install the remaining two replacement batteries later during the docked phase of the flight. The crew plans to go to sleep at about 8 this morning and will be awakened by Mission Control at 3:56 p.m., with the focus of work this evening being the first entry into the station. Atlantis and the International Space Station remain in good condition orbiting Earth each 91 minutes with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 p.m. On Monday, May 22, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #08 reports: Atlantis' seven member crew was awakened just before 4 p.m. CDT to begin its fifth day in space and is now preparing to enter the International Space Station to perform maintenance work and transfer supplies for future station crews. Today's wakeup call was "Haunted House" by Ray Buchanan since the opening lyrics say "I just moved into a new house today^Å." in honor of the STS-101 crew entering what will be a new home for astronauts and cosmonauts later this year. Commander Jim Halsell and his crew have begun to open the various hatches between the two spacecraft in a process that will take about two hours to complete. A total of five different hatches will be opened during the crew's ingress into various parts of the station. The first hatch to be opened will be on Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) which joins the Shuttle's docking mechanism to the Unity module. Next will be the hatch leading to the interior of the Unity node. Third in line will be the PMA-1 hatch at the opposite end of Unity. Next will be the hatch leading into the Zarya control module. The fifth and final hatch to be opened will be the instrumentation cargo compartment in the rear portion of Zarya. The first two individuals to enter the station will be Mission Specialists Yury Usachev and Susan Helms, who will be getting a sneak preview of their future orbiting home. Usachev, Helms and fellow STS-101 crewmember Jim Voss will become the second expedition crew to inhabit the station. The first actions by the crew upon entering the station will be to collect air quality samples in Unity and Zarya for comparison with a sample from Atlantis. They also will measure air-circulation velocity and monitor carbon dioxide levels. Upon completion of those tasks, the crew members will break out their tools and rework some of the air ducts in Zarya to improve airflow. They will re-route some ducts, strengthen others, add new acoustic mufflers where required, and they'll swap out the contaminant filter in Zarya and the charcoal filter in Unity. Once they determine that there has been a sufficient improvement in air circulation, the crew members will turn their attention to maintenance issues and cargo transfers. The main task for this evening will be the replacement of two of the batteries on the station. Problems with performance of at least two of Zarya's six "800A" storage batteries led to a decision to replace four batteries during STS-101 docked operations. The third battery will be replaced tomorrow and the fourth on Wednesday. Atlantis' crew will replace the four suspect, 163-pound batteries -Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5 - as well as three of their 34-pound current converters and two of their 10-pound current converter controllers. The batteries on the station collect energy during the daytime portion of the Station's orbit and provide power at night. The replacement of the station batteries is a well choreographed procedure that has been refined during pre-flight training activities in NASA and Russia training facilities. Of the six batteries onboard the station, a minimum of four batteries will always remain online and available to support station systems. In addition to replacing the batteries on the station, other maintenance activities planned during docked operations include replacing three fire extinguishers that have reached the end of their design life, 10 smoke detectors and four cooling fans. The Atlantis and the station both continue to operate well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are docked in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday. STS-101 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Tuesday, May 23, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #09 reports: Atlantis' crew ventured into the International Space Station for the first time last night, finding the 35-ton outpost comfortable, clean and in overall good condition as they completed a series of maintenance tasks well ahead of schedule. Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev were the first crew members to enter the station as they opened the first of five station hatches at 7:03 p.m. CDT Monday. Helms and Usachev then opened the hatch into the station's Unity connecting module a half-hour later and were quickly joined by Astronaut Jim Voss. Voss, Helms and Usachev are scheduled to live aboard the station for more than four months next year as the second resident station crew. Helms and Usachev next entered the Zarya module at 7:53 p.m. CDT and opened the final station hatch, accessing Zarya's main compartment, at 7:58 p.m. The crew went to work in the modules immediately, placing ducting throughout the station to improve air circulation and prevent problems with stale air that were experienced during a mission last year. Because of problems reported by the crew of that previous mission, STS-96 in May 1999, the ducting was modified for this flight and Atlantis' crew has reported no problems with air ! circulation. Maintaining a pace hours ahead of schedule, Helms and Usachev replaced two of six batteries in the Zarya module along with some associated battery-charging electronics. Two additional fresh batteries will be installed on successive days of the mission. This morning, station controllers in Moscow have begun charging the first of the two newly installed batteries, finding it functioning perfectly thus far. The crew also installed three fresh fire extinguishers in Zarya, replacing three that were nearing the end of their design life. Inside the Unity module, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialist Jim Voss replaced a power distribution box for a United States-built communications system. The crew also inspected the station for signs of condensation or mold, finding all areas clean and dry. Aboard Atlantis, Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber readied more than a ton of supplies -- ranging from sewing kits and trash bags to an exercise treadmill and IMAX film camera -- for transfer to the station beginning this evening. The crew also began filling several water containers that will be left aboard the station as well to await future resident station astronauts. The crew will begin a sleep period at 7:41 a.m. CDT and awaken for Day 6 of the mission at 3:41 p.m. CDT. This evening, Commander Jim Halsell will fire Atlantis' steering jets 27 times over an hour to boost the average altitude of the station by about nine statute miles. A similar process will be repeated twice more later in the mission to increase the station's average altitude by a total of about 27 statute miles before Atlantis departs. The higher altitude will aim the International Space Station toward the optimum orbit for a link up with the Russian Zvezda living quarters module planned for launch in July. The Atlantis and station complex are now in an orbit with a high point of 208 statute miles and a low point of 204 statute miles, circling Earth each 91 minutes. The next status report will be issued at 7 p.m. On Tuesday, May 23, 2000, 6:15 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #10 reports: The STS-101 astronauts aboard Atlantis were awakened at 3:41 p.m. CDT to begin their sixth day in space and third day of docked operations with the International Space Station. Today's wake up song from Mission Control was a long distance dedication from Kathy Halsell to her husband, Mission Commander Jim Halsell, the Flamingoes tune "I Only Have Eyes for You." Halsell along with Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev will spend their second day inside the station as they continue the maintenance work and supply transfer activities that began yesterday. During their first day, Atlantis' crew moved 870 pounds of supplies and equipment inside the station. That material along with the 326 pounds of equipment attached to the exterior of the station by Williams and Voss during their space walk means almost 1,200 pounds of gear already have been transferred to the station. A total of 3,381 pounds of equipment and provisions will be transferred to the station before Atlantis undocks. Maintenance work on Flight Day Six will include the third of four planned replacements of station batteries. Helms and Usachev will repeat the procedures they followed yesterday when the first two batteries were replaced. One of the batteries replaced yesterday already has been recharged and been pronounced in excellent condition. The second replacement battery will go through its charging and checkout shortly. All of the battery replacement work is carefully designed so that at least four batteries are always online and available to support station operations. Other maintenance work on schedule today includes the installation of new smoke detectors, and replacement of fire extinguishers that are nearing the end of their design life. The first of three planned station reboost maneuvers is scheduled to take place tonight at 7:01 p.m. CDT. The maneuver will see Atlantis' steering jets fire 27 times over a 58 minute period to boost the average altitude of the station by about nine statute miles. A similar process will be repeated tomorrow and again on Thursday to increase the station's average altitude by a total of about 27 statute miles before Atlantis departs. The higher altitude will aim the International Space Station toward the optimum orbit for a link up with the Russian Zvezda living quarters module planned for launch in July. Late this evening, Halsell, Williams and Voss will take a few minutes to conduct a trio of interviews with reporters from the Cable News Network, Armed Forces Television and Space.Com. The interviews are scheduled to begin at 11:41 p.m. CDT. The Atlantis and station complex continues to operate in fine fashion orbiting the Earth once every 91 minutes. The next status report will be issued at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. STS-101 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Wednesday, May 24, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Atlantis' astronauts continued a smooth pace of work aboard the International Space Station today, breezing through tasks ranging from standard home maintenance such as replacing smoke detectors to successfully conducting the first in a series of orbital boosts for the outpost. Commander Jim Halsell and pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' steering jets 27 times during almost an hour Tuesday evening to gently lift the 35-ton outpost about 10 miles higher. The same process will be repeated again tonight and on Thursday to boost the station by about 27 miles in total and leave it in an orbit with an average height of about 233 miles when Atlantis departs on Friday. As has been the case through much of the mission, the crew completed most jobs ahead of schedule. Inside the Zarya module, Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev completed the installation of a third fresh battery for the station. A fourth battery will be installed tonight. Meanwhile, station controllers in Moscow completed charging the first of two batteries installed in Zarya yesterday, and it is now operating perfectly. Controllers are charging the second new battery installed in the station, although the charging of that battery was interrupted briefly early this morning by an unforeseen conflict that prevents conducting charging and battery installation work simultaneously. The interruption halted the battery charging for about an hour and a half, but the process is now again under way with no problems. Controllers are confident the new battery is in good condition and are revising plans to ensure no similar conflict occurs as the crew is installing the final ne! w battery tonight. The crew also installed 10 new smoke detectors in Zarya, replacing detectors that had reached the end of the lifetime for which they were designed to operate. The astronauts replaced four cooling fans in Zarya for the same reason. In addition, they completed the installation of new cabling for the module's central computer that will allow that computer to be turned on and off via a United States-built backup station communications system. As the installation work progressed, the crew continued transferring items ranging from exercise equipment to computer printers to the station for use by future crews. Well over 1,200 pounds of gear have been moved from Atlantis to the station thus far. Tonight, Helms and Usachev will install the final new battery in the station. Later, Halsell and Horowitz will fire Atlantis' jets to perform the second part of the three-part station reboost. Then the crew's attention will turn to unloading various supplies from Atlantis and stowing them aboard the station. The crew will take a short break from their work at 10:21 p.m. CDT for an interview with ABC radio news; KOIN-TV of Portland, OR; and a Department of Housing and Urban Development educational group. Atlantis and the International Space Station are in an orbit with a high point of 219 miles and a low point of 212 miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 p.m. CDT. On Wednesday, May 24, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #12 reports: STS-101 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Thursday, May 25, 2000, 6:30 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #13 reports: As their seventh day in space draws to a close this morning, the astronauts aboard Atlantis have virtually completed their maintenance work on the International Space Station, installing equipment that is planned to leave the space outpost in flawless condition. Late Wednesday, Astronauts Susan Helms and Jim Voss along with Cosmonaut Yury Usachev completed the installation of a fourth and final fresh battery in the station. Station flight controllers in Russia have completed charging two of the newly installed batteries and they are operating perfectly. The third new battery is currently undergoing a 20-hour charging process, although controllers did note some apparently irregular readings in data during the early portions of the charging activity. However, after further analysis, controllers now believe the irregular information was likely a ground communications problem and that the battery is in excellent condition. Charging of the fourth new battery will begin later today and be completed before Atlantis undocks from the station on Friday. Later, Voss and Williams installed several new storage compartments behind panels in the Zarya module. Helms and Usachev also installed a new Radio Telemetry System in the module, a memory unit that can store data onboard when the station is not in communications with the ground. The new memory unit replaces one that was nearing the end of its planned operational lifetime. Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis steering jets to perform the second part of a three-day maneuver that is raising the station's orbit Atlantis jets were fired 27 times over the course of almost an hour to raise the Atlantis-station complex's average altitude by about nine miles. The third and final orbit-raising activity is planned tonight and will leave the station about 27 miles higher than when Atlantis arrived, in an optimum orbit to await the launch of a station living quarters module by Russia in July. The crew has transferred more than a ton of gear -- ranging from sewing kits to clothing -- to the station to await use by the first resident crew. Among the items transferred this morning were a stationary bicycle ergometer as well as four 12-gallon bags of drinking water. Tonight, the crew will wrap up the transfer of equipment to the station with plans in place to unload a total of more than 3,000 pounds of gear by the time Atlantis leaves. Halsell, Horowitz and Mary Ellen Weber will take a brief break from their activities at 9:11 p.m. CDT for an interview by CBS News, Fox News and KTBS-TV of Shreveport, LA. The crew will begin a sleep period at 7:11 a.m. CDT and awaken at 3:11 p.m. to begin the eighth day of the mission. Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the station at 6:07 p.m. CDT Friday and land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 1:18 a.m. CDT Monday. The Atlantis-International Space Station complex is now in an orbit with an altitude of about 225 miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 p.m. CDT. On Thursday, May 25, 2000, 6:45 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #14 reports: The seven STS-101 astronauts are spending their final full day docked to the International Space Station as they prepare for undocking Friday evening. When Atlantis undocks tomorrow evening, it will leave behind a refurbished orbiting facility, operating at a higher altitude and featuring new electrical and communications components. The station is now primed and ready to receive the next major piece of the station, the Zvezda Service Module, when it is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan between July 8-14. Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev were awakened at 3:11 p.m. CDT. Today's wakeup song -- "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance" by Jerry Jeff Walker -- was played at the request of Williams' son and family. The main task of the day will be completing the transfer of gear and supplies to the station. In the first three days of transfer activities, the crew has moved more than 3,000 pounds of material onto the station. The third and final reboost maneuver began a few minutes ago at 6:36 p.m. CDT. Like the two previous reboosts, Atlantis' reaction control system jets will be fired 27 times over a 58 minute period to gently raise the station. At the end of tonight's reboost, it is expected that the station's average altitude will have been raised by 27 statue miles. The astronauts have completed all battery work on the station. The third battery that was replaced has completed its recharging and testing and has been put back online supporting station operations. The fourth and final new battery will begin its recharge later this evening and will be back online before Atlantis undocks tomorrow evening. Shortly before the begin exiting the station for the final time, Halsell, Horowitz and Weber will take a few minutes to conduct a trio of interviews with three news organizations -- CBS Newspath, Fox News Network and KTBS-TV in Shreveport, LA -- starting at 9:11 p.m. CDT. Just before 11:30 p.m., Halsell and his crew will reverse the steps they used when they entered the station Monday evening, closing each of the five hatches associated with station components or transfer tunnels. The overall process of closing out the station and preparing for undocking is expected to take about two hours to complete. Everything remains on schedule for undocking on Friday evening at 6:07 p.m. CDT. Atlantis will perform a one half revolution of the station, before the final separation burn is initiated. Atlantis' remains on track for a landing back at Kennedy Space Center at 1:18 a.m. CDT on Monday, May 29th. STS-101 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Friday, May 26, 2000, 6:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #15 reports: With all of their mission's objectives met or exceeded, Atlantis' crew shut the doors to the International Space Station early this morning in preparation for bidding the rejuvenated outpost farewell this evening. "I couldn't be happier with the way this mission has gone," Lead Flight Director Phil Engelauf said. "Our accomplishments are at more than 100 percent for the flight." "The crew will be leaving a pristine International Space Station behind them," added Paul Hill, Lead Station Flight Director. Highlights of the crew's work aboard the station included the installation of four new batteries and associated electronics; 10 new smoke detectors in the Zarya module; four new cooling fans; additional cables for the Zarya computer to enhance its capabilities; a new communications memory unit; and a new power distribution box for the United States-built backup communications system. A new communications antenna, the final parts of a Russian crane, and various cabling and handholds were installed on the station's exterior by Astronauts Jeff Williams and Jim Voss during a six hour, 44-minute spacewalk. All of the new equipment has been checked out and is in excellent condition. The crew unloaded over 3,300 pounds of gear from Atlantis. Subtracting equipment removed from the station and stowed on Atlantis, the net change in mass for the station is about one additional ton. Along with the new electrical equipment installed, the crew also stowed supplies for future crews aboard the station, including about 48 gallons of water in four 12-gallon bags; a treadmill, exercise bicycle ergometer, and resistive exercise device; and sewing kits, trash bags, clothes, tools, books, note pads and can openers, among other items. Overseeing the unloading and stowing of supplies was Astronaut Mary Ellen Weber. Also, Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' steering jets in gentle, hour-long maneuvers during each of the past three days to raise the station's orbital altitude by 27 miles. The station is now in the optimum orbit to await the arrival of the next major station component -- a Russian-built living quarters that will launch in July. Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev began backing out of the station -- closing five hatches behind them -- by closing a hatch to the Zarya module's main compartment at 12:23 a.m. CDT. The final hatch to the station was shut at 3:04 a.m. CDT as the orbiting complex flew about 234 miles above the Red Sea. Helms, Usachev and fellow crew member Jim Voss will again visit the station next year to spend more than four months as the second crew to live aboard. In total, the astronauts on Atlantis spent three days, eight hours and one minute with the hatches open to the station during the mission. Atlantis' undocking from the International Space Station is planned for 6:03 p.m. CDT, followed by a half-loop flyaround of the station - from above to underneath - before firing its jets for the final separation. Atlantis and the station are in an orbit with a high point of 238 miles and a low point of 230 miles, circling Earth every 92 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 p.m. CDT. On Wednesday, May 26, 2000, 7:30 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #16 reports: With a gentle push, Atlantis and the International Space Station parted company this evening as the two spacecraft flew 237 miles over Kazakhstan concluding five days of work to prepare the outpost for its first resident crew. Undocking occurred at 6:03 p.m. Central time, as Pilot Scott Horowitz slowly backed Atlantis away from the space station and then flew a half-circle around the station, before firing Atlantis' jets in a final separation burn at 6:41 p.m. Atlantis' crew leaves behind a refurbished and rejuvenated space station with four new batteries, 10 new smoke detectors, and four new cooling fans in the Zarya module, a revamped communications system in the Unity module and 1 ½ tons of other supplies, including clothing and water. Now flying solo, the seven-member Atlantis crew will enjoy several hours of off-duty time tonight in recognition of the ambitious pace of work they maintained throughout this flight. Commander Jim Halsell, Horowitz, and Mission Specialists Jeff Williams, Mary Ellen Weber, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev will power down some of the equipment used during today's undocking and flyaround, and then will perform some routine housekeeping tasks before beginning their scheduled off duty time. Toward the end of the crew's day, Usachev will take some time to talk with Russian media gathered at the Russian Mission Control Center just outside of Moscow in an event scheduled at 4:26 a.m. Central time Saturday morning. Usachev, along with crewmates Voss and Helms, will visit the station again next year to spend more than four months on board as the second resident crew scheduled to live on board. The station is now in the optimum orbit to await the arrival of the next major station component -- a Russian-built living quarters that will launch in July -- flying in an orbit with a high point of 238 miles and a low point of 230 miles, circling the Earth every 92 minutes. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 a.m. Central time. STS-101 Flight Day 9 Highlights: On Saturday, May 27, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #17 reports: Having departed a rejuvenated International Space Station last night, Atlantis' crew will now spend a day checking the shuttle's equipment and stowing away gear in preparation for the trip home, aiming for a 1:20 a.m. CDT landing on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis undocked at 6:03 p.m., leaving behind a pristine space station after spending five days, 18 hours and 32 minutes attached to the orbiting outpost. After flying a half-loop around the station, Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' jets to separate from the vicinity. The crew then had a well-deserved half-day break. This evening, Commander Jim Halsell and Horowitz will test the equipment Atlantis will use during the return home to ensure it remains in good condition. They also will test-fire the shuttle's steering jets, used to control the orientation of the spacecraft as it reenters the atmosphere. The crew will participate in a press conference from orbit at 10:41 p.m. CDT, fielding questions from media at JSC, Kennedy and at the Russian Mission Control Center. Atlantis is in excellent condition, as is the International Space Station, now 50 miles behind the Shuttle and moving 7 miles further with each orbit of Earth. For a touchdown in Florida at 1:20 a.m. CDT on Monday, Atlantis would fire its engines to begin a descent at 12:16 a.m. CDT Monday. A second opportunity also exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with an engine firing by Atlantis to begin the descent at 1:53 a.m. CDT Monday leading to a touchdown at 2:56 a.m. CDT Monday. The long-range weather forecast for Monday at the Kennedy Space Center calls for possible showers and low clouds in the vicinity, conditions that could be unacceptable for landing. The crew begins a sleep period at 7:11 a.m. CDT and will awaken at 3:11 p.m. to begin what is planned to be their final full day in orbit, a day devoted to the pre-landing checkouts and packing. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 p.m. CDT. On Saturday, May 27, 2000, 8:30 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #18 reports: With all major mission objectives successfully completed, Atlantis' crew turned its attention to a planned return trip home, with a landing scheduled for 1:20 a.m. Central time on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Shortly after 7 p.m. today, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams successfully test fired Atlantis' steering jets and verified the performance of the various aerosurfaces that will be used during Atlantis' high-speed return to Earth. This checkout of Atlantis' flight control surfaces and systems is a routine activity on the day prior to landing to verify that all required systems are operating as expected. The tests were monitored by Entry flight director John Shannon from Mission Control in Houston. As Halsell, Horowitz and Williams conducted their work from the flight deck, crewmates Mary Ellen Weber, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev continued stowing away equipment used over the past nine days on orbit. Throughout the five days of docked operations with the International Space Station, the Spacehab module in Atlantis' payload bay served as a way station for more than 3,000 pounds of material transferred between the two vehicles. As the astronauts prepare for their Memorial Day landing, they will ensure that equipment housed in that module -- and in Atlantis' crew cabin -- is properly stowed and secured in place. Midway through the crew day -- about 11 p.m. -- the astronauts will gather for a final review of entry and landing procedures, and then will continue their stowage activities. Williams and Voss, who conducted a 6 1/2 hour spacewalk earlier in the mission, also will pack up and stow away their spacesuits and associated hardware. The crew will take time from tonight's entry preparations to talk with reporters located at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Russian Mission Control Center outside of Moscow in an interview scheduled to begin at 10:41 p.m. Preliminary weather forecasts for Monday morning's landing indicate a slight possibility of rain within 30 miles of the landing site, and cross winds in excess of acceptable limits. The weather forecasts will be refined over the course of the next 24 hours in preparation for landing. For a 1:20 a.m. Central time landing at KSC, Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines would be fired in a deorbit burn at 12:13 a.m. In the event weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, a second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. resulting in a 2:56 a.m. landing. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 a.m. Central time Sunday. STS-101 Flight Day 10 Highlights: On Sunday, May 28, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #19 reports: The astronauts aboard Atlantis have packed their bags and checked out their spacecraft in preparation for a return home and a planned touchdown at 1:20 a.m. Central time Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Saturday evening, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams successfully test fired Atlantis' steering jets and verified the performance of the equipment Atlantis will use for its trip home, finding everything in good shape. Early Sunday, Halsell fired Atlantis steering jets to lower its orbit by about nine miles, a maneuver that optimizes the landing opportunities that will be available for the shuttle. For a 1:20 a.m. Monday landing at KSC, Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines would be fired in a deorbit burn at 12:13 a.m. In the event weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, a second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. resulting in a 2:56 a.m. landing. The weather forecast for landing indicates acceptable conditions, although forecasters will be monitoring the progress of a front moving toward Florida throughout the day and its potential effect on winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway. Two opportunities for a landing in Florida also are available on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, if needed. Also on Wednesday, Atlantis could land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, if required. The crew sleep period begins at 7:11 a.m. and will end with a wakeup call from Mission Control at 3:11 p.m. Central. They will begin deorbit preparations in earnest just after 8 p.m. The shuttle's payload bay doors would be closed at about 9:30 p.m. and a go or no go decision would be made by Mission Control at about midnight in preparation for a 1:20 a.m. Monday landing. On Sunday, May 28, 2000, 4:00 p.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #20 reports: Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 3:11 p.m. CDT this afternoon to make final preparations for their return to Earth following 10 days in space readying the International Space Station for future occupation. Mission Control awakened the astronauts to the march "El Capitan," by John Philip Sousa. Final deorbit preparation begins at 8:13 p.m. CDT this evening on the crew's timeline. The space shuttle's payload bay doors will be closed at 9:33 p.m. and the spacecraft's radiators will no longer provide cooling once they are closed. Mission Control gives a "go" or "no go" call for transition to the software phase known as "Ops 3" at 9:45 p.m., shifting the onboard computers' attention to deorbit and entry tasks. The astronauts start getting into their launch/entry suits at 10:49 p.m., climb into their seats at 11:13 p.m., perform a gimbal check of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 11:35 p.m. and pre-start the auxiliary power units to generate hydraulic power for the aerodynamic surfaces at 11:39 p.m. The flight control team in Mission Control will review the condition of the Shuttle Orbiter and make a go/no go decision for the deorbit burn at 11:58 p.m. Atlantis maneuvers to the deorbit burn attitude at midnight and fires the OMS engines at 12:13 a.m. CDT to slow the forward speed and drop the spacecraft from orbit. Touchdown is planned for 1:20 a.m. Central time Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. A second opportunity for landing occurs one orbit later with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. and a landing at KSC at 2:56 a.m. CDT. The weather forecast for landing indicates acceptable conditions, although forecasters will be monitoring the progress of a front moving toward Florida throughout the day and its potential effect on winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway. Two opportunities for a landing in Florida also are available on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, if needed. Also on Wednesday, Atlantis could land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, if required. Landing support will not be called up for Edwards until Wednesday. The next mission status report will be issued following landing or wave-off Monday morning. STS-101 Flight Day 11 Highlights: On Monday, May 29, 2000, 2:00 a.m. CDT, STS-101 MCC Status Report #21 reports: Atlantis' astronauts glided to a ghostly pre-dawn landing this morning at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up a successful refurbishment and resupply mission to the International Space Station. Commander Jim Halsell flew Atlantis to a nighttime touchdown at the Florida spaceport at 1:20 a.m. Central time to complete a 4,076,000 mile mission, the second Shuttle flight of the year. It was the 14th nighttime landing in Shuttle history and the 22nd consecutive mission to end with a landing at KSC. Halsell was joined on Atlantis' flight deck by Pilot Scott Horowitz, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams and Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber. Crewmates Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev were seated down on the orbiter's middeck for entry and landing. Atlantis returned to Earth after Flight Director John Shannon determined that crosswinds at the Kennedy Space Center's three-mile long landing strip were gentle and steady, enabling him to give the astronauts the green light to come home on time. Halsell fired the Shuttle's braking rockets at 12:12 a.m. Central time, allowing Atlantis to drop out of orbit for its high-speed descent. Atlantis passed over southern Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico before crossing over the Sarasota / Ft. Myers area of Florida en route to the Cape. Atlantis broke the quiet of the pre-dawn hours in Central Florida with a double sonic boom just minutes before touchdown, heralding its arrival at the landing site as it went subsonic. Left in orbit is the renovated International Space Station, equipped with an upgraded electrical system, new fans, filters, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and communications gear. ISS flight controllers report that the complex is functioning in excellent condition. The Station is orbiting at an altitude of about 238 statute miles, awaiting the arrival of its next component, the Russian Service Module "Zvezda", which is scheduled to be launched on a modified Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in July. The ISS will automatically rendezvous and dock with "Zvezda" about two weeks after the new module is placed in orbit. Atlantis will now be processed for the next Shuttle flight in early September to return to the International Space Station with another crew for the outfitting and supply of the newly arrived Service Module. That flight, STS-106, will be led by veteran Commander Terry Wilcutt. The STS-101 astronauts will spend Memorial Day relaxing with their families in Florida before returning to Houston Tuesday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m. Central time for a welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center. JSC employees and families are invited to attend the ceremony. Further information can be obtained by calling the JSC newsroom after 8 a.m. on Tuesday at 281-483-5111. Mission Name: STS-106 (99) Atlantis (22) Pad 39-B (46) 99th Shuttle Mission 22nd Flight OV-104 KSC Landing (52) Night Landing (15) NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Terrence W. Wilcutt (4), Commander Scott D. Altman (2), Pilot Daniel C. Burbank (1), Mission Specialist Edward T. Lu (2), Mission Specialist Richard A. Mastracchio (1), Mission Specialist Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (2), (RUSSIA) Mission Specialist Boris V. Morukov (1), (RUSSIA) Mission Specialist Milestones: OPF -- 5/29/00 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/29/2000) VAB -- 8/07/00 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/07/2000) PAD -- 8/13/00 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/11/2000) Payload: 4th Space Station Flight ISS-2A.2b (SPACEHAB/DM,ICC) Mission Objectives: Space Station assembly flight ISS-2A.2b will utilize the Spacehab Double Module and the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) to bring supplies to the station. The mission will also include 2 spacewalks. Veteran Astronaut Terry Wilcutt (Col., USMC) leads the seven-man crew, commanding his second Shuttle flight and making his fourth trip into space. During the planned 11-day mission, Wilcutt and his crew mates will spend a week inside the ISS unloading supplies from both a double Spacehab cargo module in the rear of Atlantis's cargo bay and from a Russian Progress M-1 resupply craft docked to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module. Zvezda, which linked up to the ISS on July 26, will serve as the early living quarters for the station and is the cornerstone of the Russian contribution to the ISS. The goal of the flight is to prepare Zvezda for the arrival of the first resident, or Expedition, crew later this fall and the start of a permanent human presence on the new outpost. That crew, Expedition Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, is due to launch in a Soyuz capsule from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in late October for a four-month "shakedown" mission aboard the ISS. In addition, Dr. Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko (Col., Russian Air Force), both making their second flights into space, will conduct a 6½-hour space walk on the fourth day of the flight to hook up electrical, communications and telemetry cables between Zvezda and the Zarya Control Module, whose computers handed over commanding functions to the Service Module's computers in a smooth transition in late July. Lu and Malenchenko will also install a magnetometer to the exterior of Zvezda. The magnetometer will serve as a three-dimensional compass designed to minimize Zvezda propellent usage by relaying information to the module's computers regarding its orientation relative to the Earth. It will be the second joint U.S.-Russian space walk outside a Space Shuttle, following on the work conducted by Astronaut Scott Parazynski and Cosmonaut Vladimir Titov outside Atlantis while docked to the Mir Space Station during the STS-86 mission in October 1997. Lu, designated EV 1, will wear the space suit marked by red stripes, while Malenchenko, EV 2, will wear the pure white suit. This will be Lu's first space walk, while Malenchenko conducted a pair of space walks totaling 12 hours during his four-month stay aboard Mir in 1994. Dan Burbank (Lt. Cmdr, USCG), who is a space rookie, will serve as the space walk choreographer. Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio, also a space novice, will be the prime robot arm operator for the mission, using the Canadian-built arm to move Lu and Malenchenko around the ISS as they conduct their assembly work. Mastracchio is backed up on arm operations by Pilot Scott Altman (Cmdr., USN), making his second flight into space. The final member of the crew is Russian Cosmonaut Dr. Boris Morukov, making his first flight into space. Morukov will be responsible for unloading supplies from the Progress vehicle during the docked phase of the flight. When Wilcutt guides Atlantis in for its docking with the ISS on the third day of the mission, he will find the new station a much larger facility than the one left by the STS-101 crew during its flight in May. With the addition of the Zvezda and the Progress resupply ship, the ISS will measure 143 feet in length, roughly the height of a 13-story building, and will weigh 67 tons, twice the size of the ISS back in May. The joining of Zvezda to the ISS and the arrival of the Progress provides about 8,800 cubic feet of habitable volume for Station crew members, roughly the size of a comfortable apartment. By the time the U.S. Laboratory Destiny is installed on the ISS in January, the Station will have surpassed both Skylab and Mir in total livable space. On the fifth day of the flight, Atlantis's crew will enter the ISS, opening the hatch for the first time to Zvezda and to the Progress to begin unloading 1,300 pounds of goods from the Russian craft for the first resident crew, including items ranging from clothing to medical kits, personal hygiene kits, laptop computers, a color printer, vacuum cleaners, food warmers for Zvezda's galley, trash bags and critical life support hardware, including an Elektron oxygen generation unit and a Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal unit. Elektron and Vozdukh will be unstowed from the Progress and moved into Zvezda, but will not be installed and activated until the Expedition One crew arrives on board. The first toilet for the ISS will be delivered to Zvezda on the last day of the crew's work inside the Station for installation this fall once the Expedition 1 crew is on board. Among the first tasks facing Atlantis's crew will be the installation of three batteries and associated electronic components in Zvezda and replacement of two of the six batteries in the Zarya module, completing the work begun by the STS-101 crew in May. Zvezda was launched from Baikonur on July 12 with five of its eight battery sets already installed. Lu and Malenchenko will be in charge of the installation work in Zvezda. Also earmarked for Zvezda is the activation of two gas masks which will serve as standard emergency equipment for ISS crews and three fire extinguishers. In addition, American-Russian power conversion units will be installed in Zvezda on this flight to route electricity from huge solar arrays which will be installed on the STS-97 mission to the Russian modules. Electrical components to charge the batteries of Soyuz or Progress vehicles visiting the ISS will be installed in Zvezda as well. While Morukov spends most of his time unloading supplies from the Progress, Mastracchio will be in charge of unloading 2 tons of equipment from the Spacehab module, including medical equipment for the ISS' Crew Health Care System, or CheCS, which will serve as the heart of the station's clinic for orbiting crews, and a treadmill device and bicycle ergometer which will serve as the first exercise gear for crews on board the ISS. Associated hardware for the treadmill which will prevent its use from disturbing sensitive microgravity experiments, will be installed by the crew members near the end of their stay on board. On the tenth day of the flight, Atlantis will undock from the ISS and Altman will conduct a flyaround of the newly expanded station to enable his crew mates to conduct photo documentation of the outpost. Two days later, Wilcutt will fly Atlantis to a predawn landing at the Kennedy Space Center, setting the stage a few days later for the launch of a second Russian Progress ship to the Station and a plethora of Shuttle assembly flights to turn the complex into a working research facility. Launch: Launch September 8, 2000 Time 8:45:47 a.m EDT. Launch window was 3 minutes 57 seconds On Friday, September 8, 2000, tanking began slightly later than planned at 12:15a.m. and was completed approximately 3 hours later. The crew ate a preflight breakfast at 3:50am. At T-minus 3 hours and holding (4:27am EDT) the crew completed its weather briefing and at 4:32 a.m. EDT, prepared to suit up for flight. At 4:50am EDT the countdown clock came out of the planned T-minus 3 hour hold. At 4:56 a.m. the crew departed the Operations and Checkout building for the 8 mile journey the Launch Pad 39-B. At 5:19 a.m. EDT the crew arrived at the white room and began entering the orbiter. At 6:25 a.m. EDT with the countdown clock at the T-minus 1 hour and 25 minute mark Air to Ground communications checks were complete and the closeout crew prepared to close the hatch. At 6:40 a.m.EDT the hatch was closed and locked for flight. At 7:51 a.m. EDT the countdown clock entered the planned hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark where weather forcasters continue to monitor weather conditions. At 8:32 a.m EDT the launch team was polled and gave a final clearance for launch. At 8:37 a.m. EDT the countdown came out of the hold and entered the final launch countdown sequence. Launch occured at the opening of the window at 8:45:47 a.m. EDT. Main Engine Cutoff occured at a mission elapsed time of 8 min 50 sec. On Wednesday, September 6, 2000, preparation for launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on Friday morning continues to go well. Engineers in the launch control room are not working any significant issues. Last night, thunderstorms in the KSC vicinity did delay some routine work at the pad. Loading of Atlantis' onboard cryogenic tanks began at noon today and will conclude later tonight. The minor slowdown will be absorbed into the launch countdown's built-in hold time with no impact to launch. At 5:56 p.m. yesterday, the lightning protection system or lightning mast at Launch Pad 39B sustained a lightning strike. Subsequent checks confirmed that the lightning protection system performed as expected with no damage to the Shuttle or ground support equipment. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/06/2000) On Thursday, August 24, 2000, KSC is no longer in any "Hurricane Condition" as a result of Hurricane Debby taking a more westerly turn overnight and being downgraded to a tropical wave. Shuttle managers will monitor tropical weather activity as work at the pad continues on schedule. Prelaunch hypergolic propellant loading operations continue today. Preparations are also underway for a scheduled hot fire of auxiliary power unit No. 1 on Friday.(Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/24/2000) On Tuesday, August 22, 2000, At the launch pad, technicians have completed efforts to mate the SPACEHAB tunnel inside orbiter Atlantis and payload interface verification testing is ongoing. The Helium Signature Test continues today. Further Shuttle processing will continue on schedule with prelaunch propellant loading beginning tomorrow, pending management's decision on hurricane preparedness. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/22/2000) On Friday, August 11, 2000 Orbiter Atlantis is mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 1. The Shuttle Interface Test is ongoing from firing room 1 in the Launch Control Center. The SPACEHAB payload was delivered to Launch Pad 39B today at 3:20 a.m. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/11/2000) On Monday, August 7, 2000, at about 10:40 a.m. today, workers began moving orbiter Atlantis to the VAB in preparation for orbiter/external tank mating operations. The orbiter will be connected to the sling this afternoon, and lifted into high bay 1 tonight. Atlantis will be hardmated to the external tank early tomorrow morning. The Space Shuttle vehicle will be powered up on Thursday for the standard Shuttle Interface Test. Early Saturday, the entire Shuttle stack will move to VAB high bay 2 as part of final VAB safe haven fit check. Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B from VAB high bay 2 at about 11 p.m. on Aug. 13. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/07/2000) On 6/4/2000, technicians began preparations to remove Shuttle Atlantis' three main engines. Heat shield removal is ongoing and engine removal begins later this week. The payload bay doors were opened Friday and workers disconnected the payload from the orbiter over the weekend. Payload removal efforts are planned for today. Post-flight evaluations of the orbiter's auxiliary power converter unit (APCU) No. 1 confirmed that the unit is in good health and need not be replaced. Checks of the forward reaction control system begin in about two days. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 6/05/2000) On Friday, February 18, 2000, managers from NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) programs confirmed plans to fly an additional Space Shuttle mission to the ISS this year. The plan distributes the original STS-101 mission objectives between two flights: STS-101 and STS-106. With both missions slated for flight aboard Shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-101 remains targeted for launch no earlier than April 13 and the STS-106 launch will occur no earlier than Aug. 19. Astronauts on the new STS-106 mission will complete service module support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and outfit ISS for the first long-duration crew. Orbit: Altitude: 173 nm Inclination: 51.6 Orbits: 185 Duration: 11 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes, 15 seconds. Distance: 4.9 million miles Hardware: SRB: BI-102PF SRM: RSRM-75 ET : ET-103A MLP : SSME-1: SN-2052 SSME-2: SN-2044 SSME-3: SN-2047 Landing: September 19, 2000 KSC 3:56 a.m. EDT KSC Runway 15 The deorbit burn to bring Atlantis in for a landing on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center occured on time at 2:50 a.m. EDT. Main Gear Touchdown 3:56:48 a.m EDT (MET 11 days 19 hours 11 min 2 sec) Nose Gear Touchdown 3:56:57 a.m.EDT (MET 11 days 19 hours 11 min 11 sec) Wheel Stop 3:58:01 a.m.EDT (MET 11 days 19 hours 12 min 15 sec) Mission Highlights: STS-106 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Friday, September 8, 2000, 8:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #1 reports: Space Shuttle Atlantis rocketed into space at 7:45 this morning and is on course to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday. At the time of Atlantis^Ò launch, the 67-ton station was flying above Hungary, southwest of Budapest. The STS-106 launch countdown proceeded smoothly throughout the morning and the five astronaut, two cosmonaut crew was loaded into the crew compartment by 5 a.m. to await the final two and a half hours of the count. Once on orbit, Commander Terry Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov began configuring the shuttle for 11 days of on-orbit operations. Their mission to the 143-foot-long International Space Station will focus on unloading nearly three tons of cargo from the orbiter and a Progress supply craft already docked to the opposite end of the station^Òs Zvezda module. The equipment and provisions basically complete the onboard stowage of supplies that will be used by the first resident crew ^Ö Expedition One ^Ö scheduled for launch aboard a Soyuz rocket in late October to begin permanent human presence on the station. The crew begins its first sleep period just five hours after liftoff, at 12:45 this afternoon and will receive a wakeup call from Mission Control at 8:45 tonight. After wakeup, Wilcutt and Altman will perform the first of a series of maneuvers designed to put the shuttle on a precise course to the International Space Station. The next STS-106 status report will be issued at about 7:00 p.m. today unless developments warrant. On Friday, September 8, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #2 reports: After a flawless launch at 7:46 this morning, the Space Shuttle Atlantis began it^Òs 6600 statute mile orbital chase to catch the International Space Station where the crew will undertake a full menu of outfitting tasks to prepare the station for its permanent crew. Following the climb to orbit and initial on-orbit activities, the Mission Control Center has settled into working normal operations without any significant issues. Once in orbit, the crew quickly packed up their ascent suits and unpacked equipment to ready the orbiter for the 11-day mission before turning in at 12:46 p.m. for their first sleep period. The crew will wake up at 8:46 p.m. this evening. During their first full day in space the crew will prepare for Sunday^Òs rendezvous and docking with the station and Monday^Òs early morning spacewalk by astronaut Ed Lu and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko. About three hours after the wake-up call, Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman will initiate the first burn of the orbiter^Òs Orbiter Maneuvering System (OMS) to continue refining Atlantis' orbit for a precision rendezvous and docking. The docking will occur at about 12:53 a.m. Sunday at an altitude of about 220 statute miles over the Russia and Kazakhstan border north of the Caspian Sea. Lu, Malenchenko, and mission specialist Dan Burbank will unpack, assemble, and test spacesuits and checkout the tools Lu and Malenchenko will use as they work on the station^Òs exterior sometimes about 110 feet above the orbiter. The space walk to connect electrical, communications, and fiberoptic cables and install a magnetometer to the station will last about 6 1/2 hours. Tonight, mission specialist Rick Mastracchio will check out the remote manipulator system, and then he and cosmonaut Boris Morukov will prepare to transfer station equipment and supplies from the orbiter and the Russian Progress vehicle. The next STS-106 status report will be issued at about 7:00 a.m. Saturday. STS-106 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Saturday, September 9, 2000, 8:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #3 reports: Their first full day in space was a busy one for the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard Atlantis as they moved ever closer to an early Sunday morning linkup with the International Space Station. Docking is scheduled to occur at 12:52 a.m. central time Sunday as the two spacecraft soar high above Kazakhstan. In preparation for that linkup, the crew spent today readying a variety of tools and equipment needed to support the rendezvous and docking, as well as equipment that will be used during Monday morning's scheduled space walk. With the assistance of crew mate Dan Burbank, spacewalkers Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko checked out the suits they will wear during their planned 6 ½ hour long space walk Monday. Burbank will act as the in-cabin choreographer for that space walk. Also today, Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman verified the operation of navigational aids that will be used during the final phases of Sunday's rendezvous and docking. Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio powered up the Shuttle's robot arm, verifying its operation and conducting a photographic survey of the payload bay. Cosmonaut Boris Morukov tended to experiments and photography and television-related activities. Atlantis is scheduled to begin the final phase of rendezvous about 10 p.m. tonight, closing in toward the early Sunday docking. At present, Atlantis is approximately 1600 miles behind and slightly below the ISS, closing the distance between them by approximately 172 miles with each orbit of the Earth. Today, flight controllers reported that one of Atlantis' two onboard star trackers is not operating properly and has been powered off. The star trackers can be used as one method of updating navigation information aboard Atlantis. The failure of the star tracker, a device located on the left side of Atlantis' nose that looks upward, will have no significant impact on the planned rendezvous and docking. The remaining star tracker can be used to perform the needed functions. Once docked the astronauts and cosmonauts will briefly open the hatch between Atlantis and the mating adapter on ISS to gather an air sample. The hatch will then be closed in preparation for Monday morning's space walk. Monday evening, the crew will open 12 hatches throughout the length of the 143-foot long station and the attached Progress supply vehicle to begin transferring equipment and hardware. The crew will begin a seven hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. today. They will be awakened at 5:46 p.m. to begin the final rendezvous and docking. The next STS-106 status report will be issued about 7 p.m. Saturday or as events warrant. On Saturday, September 9, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #4 reports: STS-106 Mission Commander Terry Wilcutt along with his crew, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov, were awakened at 5:46 p.m. CDT today. The wake up song from Mission Control was " I Say a Little Prayer" which was played for Wilcutt. All seven astronauts are now busy with final preparations for the docking with the International Space Station set for early tomorrow morning. Atlantis is planned to make the third docking with the station at 12:52 a.m. As of about 6:30 p.m. this evening, the Shuttle trailed the station by about 230 statute miles and was closing in by about 184 miles with each 90-minute orbit of Earth. The final phase of rendezvous will begin when Atlantis reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station and fires its engines in a terminal phase initiation burn just before 10 p.m. Central. The TI burn, as it is called, will put the Shuttle on a course directly toward the station during the next orbit of Earth. As Atlantis moves within about a half-mile of the station, Wilcutt will take over manual control of the Shuttle^Òs approach, flying the Shuttle from controls in the aft cockpit. Atlantis will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station about 11:28 p.m. Central, and Wilcutt then will begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Atlantis will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it about 11:55 p.m. Central. Wilcutt will then begin to descend toward the station and, just before midnight Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Wilcutt will maintain that distance for about 20 minutes to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations before continuing the approach. At 12:41 a.m., Wilcutt will hold position again briefly at a point about 30 feet from the station to verify the Shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 11 minutes later with the Shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second. At the time of docking, the ISS and Atlantis will be at 49.6 degrees North Latitude, 57.1 degrees East Longitude as they fly over Western Kazakhstan. During the rendezvous, Altman will assist Wilcutt in controlling Atlantis' approach. Mastracchio and Malenchenko also will assist with the rendezvous and docking, with Burbank and Lu operating the Shuttle^Òs docking mechanism. Once docked the astronauts and cosmonauts will briefly open the hatch between Atlantis and the mating adapter on ISS to gather an air sample. The hatch will then be closed in preparation for Monday morning^Òs planned 6½-hour space walk by Lu and Malenchenko. Near the end of their work day, Atlantis^Òs crew will get 4 hours of off duty time to relax before beginning a planned eight hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. on Sunday. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 a.m. on Sunday. On Sunday, September 10, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #5 reports: Commander Terry Wilcutt steered Space Shuttle Atlantis to a smooth link-up with the International Space Station at 12:51 a.m. CDT Sunday, setting the stage for six days of outfitting to make the orbiting outpost ready for its first residents in early November. The approach and docking went almost exactly as planned, with Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov, helping Wilcutt close the final gap between the two spacecraft as they sped around the Earth at 17,500 miles an hour over Kazakhstan. The only change to the plan was a brief tilt of the shuttle to sight the station with Atlantis^Ò only working star tracker at a distance of 50 miles from the station. As soon as docking was complete, the crew activated hooks and latches to forge a hard bond between Atlantis and the station^Òs Unity module. Soon after docking, the shuttle^Òs cabin atmospheric pressure was lowered in preparation for tonight^Òs six and a half hour space walk, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA), by Lu and Malenchenko. This significantly reduces the amount of time crewmembers must pre-breathe pure oxygen before exiting the airlock. This purges the body of nitrogen bubbles and prevents symptoms called ^Óthe bends,^Ô well known by divers. The space walk is scheduled to begin about midnight and conclude at 6:30 a.m. Monday. The two space walkers will integrate the recently docked Russian Zvezda module with the rest of the International Space Station, routing and connecting nine power, data and communications cables between Zvezda and the other Russian-built module, Zarya. They^Òll also assemble a magnetometer boom on the outside of Zvezda. All the while, the robot arm will be used to help move equipment from the payload bay to the station. Atlantis^Òs STS-106 crew will turn in for the day at about 10:45 this morning and will be awakened for space walk preparations at 6:46 this evening. The astronauts and cosmonauts will enter the station Monday night, by opening 12 hatches in preparation for delivering supplies for use by the first resident crew ^Ö Expedition One. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 this evening or as mission events warrant. On Sunday, September 10, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #6 reports: The seven member STS-106 crew was awakened just before 7 p.m. CDT to begin its fourth day of orbital activities and their first full day of docked operations with the International Space Station. The main focus of today^Òs efforts will be a 6 ½ hour spacewalk conducted by Mission Specialists Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko. Today^Òs wake up call was ^ÓAll Star^Ô by the band Smash Mouth. The song was played for the two space walkers at the request of the EVA training and flight control teams to celebrate what will be the sixth space walk in support of station assembly and the 50th space walk in Space Shuttle history. After completing a final pre-breathing session of pure oxygen to purge nitrogen from their blood stream and putting on their EVA spacesuits, Lu and Malenchenko will exit Atlantis^Òs airlock just after midnight Central. Lu who carries the designation EV 1, will be making his first space walk and will wear the space suit marked by red stripes. Malenchenko, who conducted two space walks totaling 12 hours during his 1994 flight aboard the Russian Mir Space Station, is designated EV 2 and will wear the pure white suit. The main objective of the space walk will be to attach a 6-foot long magnetometer and boom to a port on the Russian Zvezda Service Module. The magnetometer will serve as a type of navigation tool, or compass, using data acquired from the Earth's magnetic field to "tell" Zvezda's computers how it is oriented in relation to the Earth. The information provided by the magnetometer will minimize the amount propellent Zvezda^Ñs thrusters use to maintain the position of the International Space Station. STS-106 Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio and Dan Burbank will also play key support roles in the spacewalk activities. Mastracchio will operate the Shuttle's robot arm to move the two spacewalkers as far as the arm will take them, about 50 feet above Atlantis' cargo bay. Lu and Malenchenko then will use tethers and handrails along the ISS' modules to make their way to a point more than 100 feet above the cargo bay for the magnetometer installation, the farthest any tethered space walker has ventured outside a Shuttle. Burbank, the IV crewmember, will serve as ^Óspace walk choreographer ^Ô guiding Lu and Malenchenko^Òs through their various activities. Once the magnetometer hook up is complete, electrical, data and television cables between the Zvezda Service Module and the Zarya Control Module will be connected. In all, nine cables will be rigged between the two spacecraft in a procedure expected to last almost three hours. Four of the cables are critical power connections required before the end of the future STS-97 mission to the ISS which will deliver the U.S. solar arrays. These cables will enable power to flow from the U.S. arrays to the Russian modules to augment the solar arrays on both Zarya and Zvezda since the U.S. arrays will shade portions of the Russians arrays once they are installed on the top of the Z-1 truss framework. Two of the cables installed by Lu and Malenchenko will provide an internal closed circuit video feed and two other cables will link data from Zvezda to Zarya and allow commanding of Zarya solar array pointing from Zvezda now that the Zarya's motion control system has been deactivated. A final fiber optic cable will be strung between Zvezda and Zarya to enable data to flow from the suits worn by Russian space walkers once the ISS airlock is installed at the starboard port of the Unity connecting node to accommodate joint U.S.-Russian space walks. Until then, ISS space walks must be conducted from Zvezda's transfer compartment. The STS-106 crew will wind up the day^Òs efforts early Monday morning before turning in for an eight hour sleep period beginning at 10:46 a.m. CDT. After they wake up Monday evening, the will enter the station Monday evening by opening 12 hatches in preparation for delivering supplies for use by the first resident crew who will arrive at the station in late October. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 a.m. on Monday morning or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 3 Highlights: On Monday, September 11, 2000, 8:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #7 reports: Astronaut Ed Lu and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko took a 6 hour, 14 minute walk outside the shuttle this morning to complete final connections between the International Space Station's newest module, Zvezda and its first component, Zarya. The space walk was the sixth in support of ISS assembly and the 50th in Shuttle Program history. It began at 11:47 last night and ended at 6:01 this morning. The two crewmembers essentially served as construction workers and electricians while outside, attaching cabling that fully, and permanently, integrate Zvezda to the rest of the ISS. During the extravehicular activity (EVA), or space walk, Mission Specialists Lu and Malenchenko stayed ahead of the timeline with choreography from inside by their crewmate, Dan Burbank. By his side on the flight deck was Rick Mastracchio, who deftly maneuvered them around the station using the robot arm. They connected nine cables between Zvezda and Zarya, including four 27-foot long cables to permit power usage from future solar arrays provided by the U.S. This will eventually allow the sharing of electrical power as the station grows in size. Another four cables extending 16 feet were secured that will provide video and data transmissions throughout the ISS. A final fiber-optic telemetry cable was installed that will be used to provide Russian spacesuit data to be transferred to the ground during future space walks. The final task was to construct and attach a magnetometer that serves as a backup navigation system for the station. This task took the two tethered space walkers the furthest distance from the shuttle than ever before - 110 feet above the payload bay. That's twice as far as when astronauts work on the Hubble Space Telescope. Following the space walk, Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman fired small thruster jets on Atlantis to slowly increase the station's overall altitude. Three separate one-hour reboost maneuvers are planned during the docked phase of the flight. The STS-106 crew will be awakened at 6:46 p.m. today and open the 12 hatches required in preparation for the transfer of almost 3 tons of hardware and supplies from the shuttle and a Progress vehicle to the ISS. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 this evening or sooner if events warrant. On Monday, September 11, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #8 reports: STS-106 Commander Terry Wilcutt along with Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov were awakened at 6:46 p.m. this evening to begin their third day of docked operations. The wake up song, The Hukilau Song by Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack, was played for Lu at the request of his sister. Wilcutt and his crew will open the doors to the recently expanded International Space Station later this evening as the crew begins the transfer of more than 3 tons of hardware and supplies from Space Shuttle Atlantis and a Russian Progress supply ship. Atlantis^Ò astronauts will be the first individuals to see the interior of the Russian Zvezda Service Module since it was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan back on July 12. A total of 12 different hatches will be opened as Wilcutt and his crew travel through the different sections of the station. The first station hatch, located on Primary Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) is expected to be opened about 10 p.m. Central. The crew should enter the Unity Node about 10:45 p.m. The hatch to the Zarya Control Module will be opened just after midnight. The hatch to the Zvezda module, which will be the living quarters for the first station crew when they are launched later this year, should be opened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Even before all the hatches are opened, the STS-106 crew will begin their transfer activities as items from Atlantis are moved into the Unity node. When the final hatch, the one between the rear portion of Zvezda and a Russian Progress supply vehicle which docked to the station on August 8, is opened, the crew will begin transferring items from the Progress to the station. One of the major objectives in tonight^Òs activities inside the station will be the removal of hardware that is no longer needed onboard the orbiting facility. Launch restraint hardware in Zvezda, the Zarya and Progress docking probe along with manual docking system hardware in Zarya will all be removed and brought back to Earth. The crew will begin an eight hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. on Tuesday and will be awakened at 6:46 p.m. Tuesday evening to continue their station transfer activities. The next STS-106 mission status report will be issued about 7 a.m. on Tuesday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 4 Highlights: On Tuesday, September 12, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #9 reports: The crew of Atlantis opened the doors to a spacious new home on orbit late Monday and began the work of outfitting the interior of the International Space Station. STS-106 Commander Terry Wilcutt along with Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov The five astronauts and two cosmonauts opened the first hatch into a connecting tunnel at 9:40 p.m. Monday, proceeded smoothly through 10 more doorways and cracked the final hatch into a Russian cargo ship at 1:22 a.m. CDT Tuesday. Crewmembers first floated into the new Zvezda service module at 12:20 a.m. CDT, wearing breathing filters and eye goggles as a precaution against possible atmospheric contamination and debris inside the newest module of the station that will serve as the living quarters and command and control center for the complex. Within minutes the crew reported that air quality and other conditions inside Zvezda were excellent, removed the precautionary equipment and went to work installing ventilation and removing restraint bolts put in place for Zvezda's ride to orbit two months ago today. No longer required, these launch restraints along with the manual docking system hardware in the station's first module, Zarya, will be brought back to Earth aboard Atlantis. After a scheduled 8 hour sleep period, the crew will be awakened at 6:46 this evening. Major tasks are to install three batteries inside Zvezda and remove and replace two batteries in Zarya. Because of weight, Zvezda was launched with five of its eight batteries in place. The two batteries to be replaced in Zarya were the only two of six that were not changed during Atlantis' visit in May on the STS-101 mission. In and around the battery work, the transfer of almost three tons of hardware will begin during five or six days of docked operations. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. Tuesday or sooner if events warrant. On Tuesday, September 12, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #10 reports: Just before Commander Terry Wilcutt and his crew went to bed earlier today, Mission Control radioed up the news that mission managers had given their approval to an additional day of docked operations for Atlantis^Ò crew and their efforts aboard the International Space Station. The STS-106 crew will now depart the station late Sunday evening just after 10:30 p.m. Central. The additional mission day will give Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov more time to prepare the orbiting facility for the arrival of the first station crew when it docks to the station in early November. The STS-106 crew was awakened at 6:46 p.m. to begin its fourth day of docked operations. This morning^Òs wake up call - ^ÓBrown-Eyed Girl^Ô by Van Morrison ^Ö was played for Mastracchio at the request of his wife. Some of the major activities for the crew today will include the installation of three batteries inside the Zvezda Service Module. In order to reduce it^Òs weight for launch, Zvezda was launched with only five of its eight batteries in place. The STS-106 crew also will complete the battery replacement work in the Zarya Control Module begun by the STS-101 crew back in May by installing two new batteries to go along with the four installed earlier this year. In and around the battery work in Zvezda and Zarya, the transfer of hardware and supplies from both Atlantis and the Russian Progress supply vehicle will continue with what will now be a full week of docked operations. Early tomorrow morning as his work day is coming to an end, Wilcutt, a native of Kentucky, will take some time to conduct interviews with three Kentucky television stations about the progress of the flight. The trio of interviews is scheduled to begin at 6:51 a.m. Central. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 a.m. Wednesday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 5 Highlights: On Wednesday, September 13, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #11 reports: Electrical work was the hallmark of the day as four of the mission specialists aboard Atlantis and the International Space Station replaced batteries inside the Zarya and Zvezda modules while supply transfer continued around them. To replace one component in Zarya, Mission Specialists Dan Burbank and Boris Morukov had to use a hammer and chisel to remove some rivets holding the floor bracket in place. They then were able to easily remove and replace the unit that controls the flow of current through the battery. Burbank and Morukov's battery work took care of the first of two Zarya module batteries and related equipment replacement scheduled for this mission. The second battery will be replaced Wednesday. The replacements will finish work begun in May when the STS-101 crew replaced the other four of the module batteries. Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko installed three batteries and associated electrical equipment inside the Zvezda module. The newest space station component was launched in July with only five of its eight batteries in place to save weight. In and around the battery work in Zvezda and Zarya, Commander Terry Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio transferred hardware and supplies from both Atlantis and the Russian Progress supply vehicle. That work will now extend to a full week after mission managers in Houston and Moscow granted the extra day to continue outfitting the station for its first resident crew scheduled to arrive in November. Early this morning as his workday neared its end, Wilcutt, a native of Kentucky, took time to answer questions from reporters at three television stations in his home state. The crew’s bedtime is about 11 this morning with the Flight Day 7 wake-up call scheduled for 6:46 p.m. today. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. Wednesday or sooner if events warrant. On Wednesday, September 13, 2000, 7:30 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #12 reports: The STS-106 astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis were awakened just before 7 p.m. Central to begin another day of electrical work and transfer activities as they near the halfway point of docked operations with the International Space Station. With 189 hours, 40 minutes of planned Atlantis-ISS docked time, the halfway point of docked operations will be reached at 11:45 p.m. this evening. This morning's wake up song from Mission Control was Kombaht by the group called Loobeh, played for Mission Specialist Boris Morukov of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. After finishing their post-sleep activities, Commander Terry Wilcutt and his crew - Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Morukov, will resume the transfer of almost three tons of equipment and supplies from Atlantis and a Russian supply vehicle to the newly expanded Station. Included in today's "To Do" list will be the installation of a battery charger in the Zvezda Service Module. The device will be hooked into Zvezda's electrical power system to allow batteries in visiting Progress or Soyuz vehicles to be charged, using the station's power system. The crew will also complete the installation of a final battery in the Zarya module before installing the two Russian Orlan spacesuits that will be used by resident crews to perform space walks outside the station. Wilcutt and Altman will conduct a second space station reboost early Thursday at 1:13 a.m. The Shuttle's RCS jets will be pulsed 36 times over an hour to gently increase the station's altitude by about 4 ½ statute miles. Near the end of the day's activities, Wilcutt and Burbank will answer questions from reporters from the Associated Press, ABC's "Good Morning America" and CNBC's "Squawk Box." program The trio of interviews is scheduled to begin at 7:11 a.m. Central on Thursday. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 a.m. Thursday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 6 Highlights: On Thursday, September 14, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #13 reports: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station earlier today completed final electrical installations in both the Zvezda and Zarya modules and transferred another station-based experiment to demonstrate control technologies to suppress unwanted vibrations. Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko hooked up a third battery in the Zvezda module, bolstering its supply of power reservoirs. The module was launched in July with five of eight batteries installed to save weight. One of the newly installed batteries in Zvezda is not working properly and Russian flight controllers are investigating. Regardless, the station will have plenty of power to accommodate the needs of the first resident crew scheduled to arrive in early November. Meanwhile, Mission Specialists Dan Burbank and Boris Morukov, removed and replaced a fourth battery and related equipment in the Zarya module, bringing its complement of six batteries back up to speed with fresh replacements. Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman used Atlantis^Ò propulsion system to reboost the station^Òs orbit to an altitude of 236 by 225 statute miles (380 x 362 km) firing the jets 36 times over the course of an hour. The maneuver raised the stations orbit about 4 ½ miles (7 km). Two more altitude-raising burns are planned before the shuttle undocks Sunday. Through it all, Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio oversaw the unpacking of Atlantis^Ò cargo hold and the Progress supply ship, moving all manner of equipment and supplies on board the station for the first crew. The crew also unpacked Russian-made Orlan space suits that will be used to perform space walks outside the station. Another important item for those first residents was installed earlier today when Malenchenko moved the hardware and hoses for the station^Òs first toilet from the Progress to Zvezda. The unit^Òs waste tank and hose were installed. The task of activating the bathroom will be left to the Expedition One crew. As of Noon Wednesday, the crew had transferred 1,900 pounds of hardware and supplies to the ISS. Total planned transfer from the shuttle and Progress is expected to be about 6,000 pounds. Atlantis' crew will turn in about 11 this morning and be awakened at 6:46 this evening and the next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. today or sooner if events warrant. On Thursday, September 14, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #14 reports: The seven astronauts aboard the Atlantis-International Space Station will soon resume their transfer activities as they start their 5th day of docked operations inside the orbiting facility. At of the start of their workday today, approximately one third of the almost three tons of supplies and equipment have already been moved into the station. Commander Terry Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman along with Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov were awakened shortly before 7 p.m. Central. The wake up song was ^ÓHaze Has Melted Away^Ô by Konstantin Nikolsky's Group and was requested for Malenchenko by his wife. Highlights of the day include the continuing transfer of equipment and supplies from Atlantis to the International Space Station and the organization and stowage of that gear inside the ISS. The 1,300 pounds of ISS gear aboard the Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the aft end of the Zvezda module already has been unloaded. The Progress is beginning its second role, as a space garbage truck. It will be loaded with unneeded gear -- packing material as an example -- which will be incinerated with the vehicle during a fiery re-entry into the Earth^Òs atmosphere. Lu and Malenchenko will spend much of their day installing voltage and current stabilizers in the Zvezda Service Module. They also will install components of the Elektron system in Zvezda. That equipment, sent into orbit aboard the Progress, separates water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is vented overboard while the oxygen replenishes the air in the ISS. The system will not be activated until after arrival of the first station crew. The third in a series RCS jet firings to gently raise the station^Òs altitude will happen early on Friday morning. Beginning about 1:46 a.m., Atlantis^Òs maneuvering thrusters will be pulsed 36 time over a one hour period to raise the station about 3½ statue miles (5.6 km). One more altitude-raising burn is planned before the shuttle undocks Sunday. Wilcutt and Altman will give their impressions of the ISS as a home and the progress of the STS-106 mission with reporters from The CBS ^ÓEarly Show,^Ô the Cable News Network (CNN) and the Louisville Courier-Journal. The series of interviews will begin at 7:31 a.m. Central time on Friday. Atlantis^Ò astronauts will conclude their activities mid-morning on Friday and begin an eight-hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. The next STS-106 status report will be issued at 7 a.m. on Friday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 7 Highlights: On Friday, September 15, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #15 reports: The International Space Station got another boost overnight, as STS-106 Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman executed another hour-long series of thruster firings designed to raise the station^Òs orbit by several more miles. Thirty-six pulses of Atlantis^Ò reaction control system thrusters boosted the station another 3 ½ miles (5.6 km). The third reboost of the mission placed the ISS in a 237 by 229 statute mile orbit (381 x 368 km). One more reboost maneuver is scheduled Sunday before the shuttle undocks from the station. Mission Specialists Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko spent much of their day installing power converters in the Zvezda module. These will allow current from U.S. solar arrays to be used in the Russian modules. The first set of these large arrays is scheduled to be installed on the station in early December. The crew took a closer look at the connections on one of Zvezda^Òs eight batteries that is not working properly. Mission managers have elected to disconnect cables from the battery and do no further work since seven of the eight batteries are working fine. As few as five can supply enough electrical capability when a crew is stationed on the ISS. Lu and Malenchenko also installed components of the Elektron system in Zvezda. That equipment, sent into orbit aboard the Progress, separates water into oxygen and hydrogen and will be used to replenish the air in the station. The system will be activated after arrival of the first station crew. Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank and Boris Morukov concentrated their efforts on transferring, organizing and stowing equipment and supplies from Atlantis to the station. The 1,300 pounds of gear aboard the Progress cargo spacecraft that is docked to the aft end of the Zvezda module already has been unloaded, and that vehicle is now being utilized as a trash container that eventually will be remotely undocked to burn up harmlessly in the Earth^Òs atmosphere. So far, 3,700 pounds of hardware and supplies has been moved into the ISS, including six, 100 pound bags of water, all the food for the first resident crew, office supplies, onboard environmental supplies, a vacuum cleaner and a computer and monitor. Atlantis^Ò astronauts will go to bed mid-morning today and will be awakened from Mission Control at 6:46 this evening. Their next workday will focus on the assembly of the station^Òs treadmill exercise equipment. The next STS-106 status report will be issued at 7 p.m. today or sooner if events warrant. On Friday, September 15, 2000, 8:30 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #16 reports: With one full day of docked operations remaining to complete their work on the International Space Station (ISS), the seven-member crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis continued setting up equipment for the station^Òs first inhabitants. The astronauts began their sixth day attached to the Space Station this evening, as Mission Control awakened the crew at 6:46pm Central time with the University of Connecticut Fight Song, performed by the University of Connecticut Band. The music was played for Rick Mastracchio, an alumnus of that school. On the timeline for flight day nine will be the setup of the ISS treadmill and its associated equipment. The device, known as the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (TVIS) allows station crews to maintain physical conditioning during their extended flights without shaking sensitive experiments. Astronauts also will reinstall the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) Controllers that had been removed by the STS-96 crew to facilitate logistics transfer during the ISS supply and setup missions. The CBM controllers are suitcase-size devices that control the latching of modules and ISS hardware to the Unity node. They were removed to avoid damage to the units and to ease the transfer of bulky items through the hatches. This reinstallation was a get-ahead task that the crew was able to work into its timeline. Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialist Ed Lu will participate in a series of in-flight interviews with three media outlets Saturday. They will talk with WHEC-TV in Rochester, NY, Fox News Network and the Orlando Sentinel beginning at 6:56 a.m. CDT. Cargo transfer is proceeding well with more than 3500 pounds of supplies, water and equipment having been moved from the orbiter into the station. The crew has unloaded approximately 1,300 pounds from the Progress resupply vehicle presently docked to the end of the Zvezda module. The empty Progress is now being used as a trash receptacle and will be remotely deorbited prior to the arrival of the first resident crew to the Station later this fall. Atlantis is in a 206 x 199 nautical mile orbit with all systems functioning normally. The next STS-106 status report will be issued at 7 a.m. Saturday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 8 Highlights: On Saturday, September 16, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #17 reports: In the final hours of docked operations between Atlantis and the International Space Station the seven member crew continued transferring supplies and equipment, including an exercise treadmill, for use by the first resident crew later this year. In an activity that occupied much of their work day, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Dan Burbank and Boris Morukov completed installing the treadmill in the Zvezda module of the station this morning. The treadmill includes a sophisticated vibration isolation system that prevents exercise-induced vibrations from being transmitted into the hull of the Space Station and disturbing sensitive experiments that will be conducted on board by resident crews. Inside the Unity module, Burbank and Rick Mastracchio reinstalled four Common Berthing Mechanism controllers in the port leading from Unity to the docking port currently occupied by Atlantis. The CBM controllers were removed by the STS-96 crew to provide greater clearance during the transfer of supplies from the Shuttle to the Space Station. The installation of the controllers sets the stage for the arrival of the U.S. laboratory module, Destiny, early next year. Cargo transfer continues to proceed ahead of schedule with 4,285 pounds of supplies, water and equipment being moved from Atlantis to the station and 762 pounds of material carried to Atlantis for the return trip home. Among the supplies transferred to station today were additional food, a food warmer, a ham radio and the last of the computer equipment for the first station residents. About six hours of transfer activity remains for the crew tomorrow when they will move some final water containers and food to the station. The crew also has completed unloading supplies from the Progress cargo craft and reloading that craft with trash. The cargo craft will be undocked from the station remotely before the first resident crew arrives later this year. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period later this morning, with a wake-up call from Mission Control scheduled for 6:46 p.m. CDT. After almost one week working on board the station, the astronauts and cosmonauts will begin turning off lights and closing the doors of their home in space in preparation for Atlantis^Ò departure from the station on Sunday night. The crew will back out of the station module-by-module, closing a series of 12 hatches beginning at the Progress cargo ship shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday and ending with closing hatches between Unity and Atlantis shortly after 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Atlantis is in a 206 x 199 nautical mile orbit with all systems functioning normally. The next STS-106 status report will be issued about 8 a.m. Sunday or sooner if events warrant. On Saturday, September 16, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #18 reports: STS-106 Mission Commander Terry Wilcutt and his crew were awakened at 6:46 p.m. Central to begin their final full day of docked operations with the International Space Station. By the end of their workday on Sunday morning, Atlantis' astronauts will have finished their efforts of making the orbiting facility a home for the arrival of the first permanent residents of the outpost and all of the hatches between Atlantis and the station will have been closed in preparation for the Shuttle's departure on Sunday evening. The wake up call for Wilcutt and his crew - Pilot Scott Altman along with Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov - was the U.S. Coast Guard's "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready), played for Burbank, a Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard. The Atlantis astronauts will finish checking the three tons of supplies and equipment that have been transferred from the Shuttle and an unmanned Russian supply vehicle in preparation for the arrival of the first station crew in November. Then in a reversal of the procedures they followed last Monday when they entered the station, the crew will close and secure the hatches that connect each of the station components. The first hatch closure between the Progress vehicle and the Zvezda Service Module should take place just after 10 p.m. Central. The final hatch between the station and Atlantis will be secured around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. In addition to station closeout activity, the STS-106 astronauts will checkout rendezvous tools and install the centerline camera in the orbiter docking system that will be used to support the undocking and fly around of the station Sunday night. The fourth and final in a series of jet thruster firings to gently raise the station's altitude will occur while the hatch closing activity is taking place. Beginning about 10:30 p.m., Atlantis' maneuvering thrusters will be pulsed to gently raise the station about 3½ statute miles. In all, the four maneuvers will have raised the average altitude of the orbiting facility by 14 statute miles. The STS-106 crew will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. tomorrow morning. Following their wake up, the astronauts will immediately move into undocking preparations with undocking scheduled for 10:44 p.m. Sunday. All of the systems on Atlantis and the International Space Station are functioning normally. The next STS-106 status report will be issued about 8 a.m. Sunday or sooner if events warrant. STS-106 Flight Day 9 Highlights: On Sunday, September 19, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #19 reports: The seven STS-106 astronauts and cosmonauts turned out the lights and closed the doors on a new home in space today after spending a week working as movers, cleaners, plumbers, electricians and cable installers. In all, more than 6,600 pounds of supplies were left behind for use by Expedition crews that will live aboard the International Space Station. The last hatch to the station was closed at 7 this morning, ending 5 days, 9 hours, 21 minutes inside the station for Atlantis^Ò crew. Undocking is scheduled for 10:44 tonight. The exit from the station began late last night when the hatch leading to the Russian Progress supply ship was closed. The Progress has been filled with trash and packing materials and eventually will be remotely commanded to undock and burn up harmlessly in Earth^Òs atmosphere. Before closing off the shuttle from the station, a fourth altitude boost was given to the orbiting complex. The final series of shuttle thruster firings raised the station^Òs orbit another 3½ statute miles (5.6 km) to 241 by 233 miles (388 x 375 km). In all, the four maneuvers raised the average altitude of the ISS by 14 miles (22.5 km). Before going to bed in a few hours, the crew will prepare rendezvous tools to be used during the undocking from the station. Also, the centerline camera will be placed in the orbiter docking system window. After wake up at 6:46 p.m. today, the crew will move into preparations for undocking. Wilcutt and Altman will guide Atlantis through a double-loop fly around of the station to fully document its current configuration. Atlantis leaves the station in excellent shape to await its next visitors, who will board Discovery in early October on the STS-92 mission to deliver another tunnel adapter and a small truss support for the station^Òs propellant-saving gyroscopes. The Z1 truss element also will provide support for the large communications antenna and first set of U.S. solar arrays. Shuttle Program managers met earlier this morning and elected to leave Discovery on the launch pad based on the expected path of Hurricane Gordon, forecast to make landfall along the upper west coast of the Florida peninsula. The next STS-106 status report will be issued about 7 p.m. today, or sooner if events warrant. On Sunday, September 17, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #20 reports: Following a successful week of docked operations, the seven astronauts aboard Shuttle Atlantis will depart the International Space Station later this evening, leaving behind the more than three tons (6,600 pounds) of supplies and equipment that was transferred to the orbiting facility. Commander Terri Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman along with Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Moukov received their wake up call from Mission Control at 6:46 p.m. Central. The wake up song, ^ÓYMCA^Ô was played for Scott Altman at the request of his wife. The seven STS-106 astronauts will shortly begin the final preparations for undocking. Atlantis is scheduled to separate from the station at 10:44 p.m. while the two spacecrafts are flying over the northeastern portion of the Ukraine. The initial separation will be performed by springs in the docking mechanism that will gently push the shuttle away from the station. Both Atlantis and the station^Òs steering jets will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings during this initial separation. Once the docking mechanism^Òs springs have pushed Atlantis away to a distance of about two feet, when the docking devices will be clear of one another, Altman will turn the shuttle's steering jets back on and fire them to begin very slowly moving away from the station. From the aft flight deck, Altman will manually control Atlantis within a tight corridor as he separates from the station, essentially reversing the task performed by Wilcutt when Atlantis docked. Atlantis will continue away to a distance of about 450 feet, where Altman will begin the close fly-around of the station, first crossing a point directly behind, then directly underneath and then again above the station. Altman will circle the station twice in 90 minutes as the crew records views of the exterior with still photography and video. As Atlantis crosses directly above the station for the second time, Altman will fire Atlantis' jets to perform a final separation. Early on Monday, all seven astronauts will conduct an in-flight press conference during which they will answer questions from reporters at various NASA centers and the Russian mission control center outside of Moscow. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 2:11 a.m. CDT. Atlantis^Ò astronauts will get some off duty time just after 3 a.m. Central before they turn in for an eight hour sleep period at 9:46 a.m. When they wake up early Monday evening, the crew will checkout the orbiter systems used for reentry and landing and secure equipment and transfer items in preparation for landing at Kennedy Space Center at 2:56 a.m. Central on Wednesday. STS-106 Flight Day 10 Highlights: On Monday, September 18, 2000, 3:30 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #21 reports: Atlantis^Ò seven astronauts and cosmonauts successfully undocked from the International Space Station after accomplishing all mission objectives in outfitting the station for the first resident crew. ^ÓWe laid out the red carpet for the first crew to come aboard,^Ô said Bob Cabana, manager of international operations for the International Space Station Program. Undocking occurred at 10:46 p.m. CDT Sunday over Russia near the northeastern portion of the Ukraine. When Atlantis was at a safe distance from the station, about 450 feet, Pilot Scott Altman performed a 90-minute, double-loop fly around to enable the crew to document the station^Òs exterior. He fired Atlantis^Ò jets one final time to separate from the station at 12:35 a.m. ^ÓIt really glistened out there, sunrise and sunset on the service module,^Ô Altman said, when asked about the fly around during a crew news conference early Monday. ^ÓIt sparkled like a jewel against the blue background of the oceans.^Ô Commander Terry Wilcutt, Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov all answered questions posed by reporters at NASA centers and the Russian mission control center outside of Moscow. Wilcutt said he had no advice for the first station residents ^Ö Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalov and Yuri Gidzenko -- other than to ^Óenjoy it like a new home.^Ô When asked about living conditions aboard the station, in particular noise levels inside the Zvezda service module, he said ^ÓWe all think it^Òs just fine. No louder than the shuttle. It^Òs just fine the way it is.^Ô Following the in-flight press conference, Malenchenko and Morukov remained in Atlantis^Ò middeck to field questions from Russian reporters in Moscow before enjoying six hours of off-duty time and an eight-hour sleep period. When the astronauts are awakened at 5:46 p.m. CDT this afternoon, they will check out the shuttle systems used for reentry and landing and secure equipment and transfer items. in preparation for their homecoming. Landing is scheduled for 2:56 a.m. CDT Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. Monday or sooner if events warrant. On Monday, September 18, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #22 reports: Having departed the International Space Station last night, Atlantis' crew will now spend a day checking the shuttle's equipment and stowing away gear in preparation for the trip home, aiming for a 2:56 a.m. CDT landing on Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STS-106 Mission Commander Terry Wilcutt along with Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov were awakened at 5:46 p.m. Central to begin what should be their final full day in orbit. This evening^Òs wake-up song was ^ÓHome in the Islands^Ô by The Brothers Cazimero, played for Lu who considers Honolulu a hometown. This evening Wilcutt and Altman will test the systems that will be used during the return home to Kennedy Space Center to ensure that equipment remains in good condition. Around 8:45 p.m Central, a test of the flight control systems that maneuver the shuttle once it re-enters the atmosphere and beings to operate like an airplane will be conducted. Just before 10 p.m., a test fire of all 44 thruster jets on Atlantis will be performed to verify they are in good working order. The astronauts also will spend part of their work day putting away the equipment they have been using over the last week along with items being brought back from the International Space Station in preparation for their return to Earth. Atlantis remains in excellent operating condition, as does the International Space Station, now more than 100 statute miles behind the shuttle. The two spacecraft are moving about 8.8 miles farther apart with each orbit of Earth. For a touchdown in Florida at 2:56 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Atlantis would fire its engines to begin a descent at 1:49 a.m. CDT. A second opportunity also exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit. The second opportunity would have the deorbit burn taking place at 3:27 a.m. CDT and Atlantis touching down on the 3-mile-long runway at KSC at 4:33 a.m. CDT. The next mission status report will be issued at 7 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. STS-106 Flight Day 11 Highlights: On Tuesday, September 19, 2000, 7:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #23 reports: Atlantis' crew turned its attention to checking shuttle systems and packing up equipment for the return home scheduled for 2:56 a.m. CDT, Wednesday back at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The weather forecast calls for scattered clouds, a light sea-breeze, and only a slight chance of rain off the coast. Winding down from the hectic pace of International Space Station outfitting, which saw the crew move more than 6,600 pounds of supplies into the station, the crew of five astronauts and two cosmonauts spent much of today tearing down their campsite. They^Òll turn in for one last night in space about 10 this morning and receive a wakeup call from Mission Control at 5:46 this afternoon. STS-106 Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott Altman tested the systems that will be used during the return home, ensuring that all 44 of Atlantis^Ò thruster jets and flight control surfaces are in good working order. The packing and housekeeping chores high on the list of priorities included deactivating systems in the pressurized Spacehab module that served as a cargo hold for the equipment and supplies transferred to the station, and putting away other equipment used in the rendezvous, docking, space walk, undocking and fly around of the previous week. With weather conditions favorable in Florida, and nearly perfect in California at the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, managers elected to aim for a landing in Florida only, Wednesday. Edwards would be considered for Thursday, however. For a touchdown on the 3-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility runway on the first opportunity tomorrow, Atlantis would fire its engines to begin a descent at 1:50 a.m. A second opportunity to land in Florida starts with a deorbit burn at 3:27 a.m. and ends with Atlantis touching down at 4:33 a.m. CDT. Atlantis remains in excellent shape as it leads the International Space Station by 140 statute miles. That distance increases by 5 miles with each orbit of the Earth. The next mission status report will be issued about 7 p.m. today. On Tuesday, September 19, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #24 reports: The STS-106 astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis are preparing for their return to Earth with a planned predawn touchdown on the 3-mile long Shuttle Landing Facility runway at the Kennedy Space Center at 2:56 a.m. CDT Wednesday. The forecasted weather for early Wednesday shows essentially favorable conditions with some concern for rain showers in the vicinity of the Florida spaceport. Commander Terry Wilcutt, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov were awaken at 5:46 p.m. to the song "Houston", performed by Dean Martin. Just before 10 p.m., the astronauts will begin their deorbit preparations. After closing Atlantis' payload bay doors at 11:10 p.m., the crew will put on their pressurized launch and entry suits and strap into their seats shortly before 1 a.m. Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale is expected to poll the flight control team for the final decision for the deorbit burn 20 minutes prior to the planned firing of Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 1:50 a.m. Central which would result in a landing for Atlantis at 2:56 a.m. There is a second landing opportunity available on the next orbit if needed. For the second landing opportunity, Atlantis would fire its engines at 3:26 a.m., for a KSC touchdown at 4:33 a.m. Central. During their 12-day flight, the astronauts spent a week docked to the International Space Station during which they transferred more than 3 tons of supplies and equipment, preparing the orbiting facility as a home for the first resident, or Expedition, crew, scheduled to arrive at the new outpost in early November. The next mission status report will be issued shortly after landing or a landing waveoff early Wednesday morning. STS-106 Flight Day 12 Highlights: On Wednesday, September 20, 2000, 3:00 a.m. CDT, STS-106 MCC Status Report #25 reports: Atlantis and its seven astronauts swooped to a predawn landing at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, wrapping up a mission to prepare the initial living quarters of the International Space Station for its first residents. Commander Terry Wilcutt guided Atlantis to a landing at 2:56 a.m. Central time, wrapping up a 4.9 million mile mission in which more than three tons of equipment were delivered to the international outpost. Wilcutt and his crewmates, Pilot Scott Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov completed the 23rd consecutive landing of a shuttle at the Florida spaceport, and the 30th landing of a shuttle at the Cape in the last 31 flights. During their 12-day flight, the astronauts spent a week docked to the International Space Station during which they worked as movers, cleaners, plumbers, electricians and cable installers. In all, they spent 7 days, 21 hours and 54 minutes docked to the International Space Station, outfitting the new Zvezda module for the arrival of the Expedition One crew later this fall. Atlantis^Ò landing came just two weeks before the launch of Discovery on the next assembly flight to the station, the STS-92 mission, scheduled for liftoff around October 5. Seven astronauts will install a large truss structure to the Unity node of the Station, housing motion control gear and communications equipment. The so-called Z1 truss will also serve as the mounting platform for the large U.S. solar arrays for the station which will be delivered late this year. The STS-106 crew is scheduled to return to Houston and a welcome home at Ellington Field about 2 p.m. Thursday. Mission Name: STS-92 (100) Discovery (28) Pad 39-A (70) 100th Shuttle Mission 28th Flight OV-103 Night Launch (25) Edwards Landing NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage Crew: Brian Duffy (4), Commander Pamela A. Melroy (1), Pilot Koichi Wakata (2), (Japan) Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao (3), Mission Specialist Peter J.K. Wisoff (4), Mission Specialist Michael E. Lopez-Alegria (2), Mission Specialist William S. McArthur (3), Mission Specialist Milestones: OPF -- 12/27/99 VAB -- 8/21/00 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/21/2000) PAD -- 9/11/00 Payload: Space Station Assembly Flight ISS-05-3A (Z-1 Truss/SLP, CMGs, Ku/S-Band, PMA-3/SLP, DDCU), IMAX Mission Objectives: STS-92 is a space station Assembly flight that will bring the Z-1 Truss, Control Moment Gyros, Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3)(mounted on a Spacelab pallet) and two DDCU (Heat pipes) to the International Space Station. ITS Z1 is an early exterior framework to allow first U.S. solar arrays on flight 4A to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. The Ku-band communication system supports early science capability and U.S. television on 6A. The CMGs (Control Moment Gyros) weigh about 600 lbs and provide non-propulsive (electrically powered) attitude control when activated on 5A, and PMA-3 provides shuttle docking port for solar array installation on 4A, Lab installation on 5A. The mission will include 7 docked days to Space station, 4 planned EVA's and 2 planned ingress opportunities. Over the course of four scheduled spacewalks, two teams of space walkers and an experienced robot arm operator will collaborate to install the so-called Z1 (Z for zenith port) truss structure on top of the U.S. Unity connecting node on the growing station and to deliver the third Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA 3) to the ISS for the future berthing of new station components and to accommodate shuttle dockings. The Z1 truss will be the first permanent lattice-work structure for the ISS, very much like a girder, setting the stage for the future addition of the station's major trusses or backbones. The Z1 fixture will also serve as the platform on which the huge U.S. solar arrays will be mounted on the next shuttle assembly flight, STS-97. The Z1 contains four large gyroscopic devices, called Control Moment Gyros (CMGs), which will be used to maneuver the ISS into the proper orientation on orbit once they are activated following the installation of the U.S. laboratory. Launch: October 11, 2000, 7:17 p.m EDT. Launch Window was 5 min. On Wednesday, October 11, 2000, the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was rolled in place and the pin discovered during prelaunch pad inspections was removed at 2:42 a.m. External Tank loading began at 10:40 a.m. EDT and was completed by 1:30 p.m EDT. At 3:27 p.m. EDT the flight crew departed the O&C Building and arrived at the launch pat at 3:57 p.m. EDT. At 4:50 p.m. EDT, a go was given to close and lock the hatch and by 6 p.m EDT the white room team left the pad. At 7:06 p.m. a final poll was made of the launch team and the countdown clock came out of the T-minus 9-minute hold at 7:08 p.m. The launch occured 7:17 p.m EDT at the opening of the window. For the launch attempt scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, 2000, External Tank loading began at 12:02 a.m. and was completed at 2:00pm. EDT. At 3:34 p.m EDT, the flight crew suited up in the O&C building and departed for Pad 39A at 3:50 p.m. EDT. At 5:12 p.m. EDT the closeout crew was given a go to close the hatch and at 5:17 p.m confirmation was given that the hatch was closed and locked for flight. The launch was scrubbed at 6:25 p.m. due to the discovery at around the T-minus 3 hour mark of a pin, typically used to secure handrails at the launch pad, that was lodged on a strut connecting the orbiter and the External Tank. The launch was rescheduled for a 24 hour scrub turnaround. The launch scheduled for October 5, 2000 at 9:38 p.m. EDT has been delayed at least 24 hours. Tanking operations on 10/5/00 scheduled to begin shortly after noon were postponed and the launch delayed to give the mission management team time to discuss a potential problem with an explosive bolt observed during separation of the STS-106 External Tank and the orbiter Atlantis. The team met and rescheduled for a new launch date of 10/9/2000 at 8:06 p.m. EDT. On Wednesday, October 4, 2000, The launch countdown for mission STS-92 continued at Pad 39A. Loading of Discovery's onboard cryogenics began on time last night and concluded earlier this morning. Following this, the orbiter mid-body umbilical was detached from the vehicle. Also, final Shuttle main engine preparations were conducted. Late stow operations of flight crew equipment were completed late in the evening and the rotating service structure moved away from the vehicle at about 1:30 a.m.. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/04/2000) On Sunday, October 1, 2000, the crew for mission STS-92 arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at about 7 p.m., and the countdown for launch remains slated to begin at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday at the T-43 hour mark. At the pad, preparations for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery continue on schedule. Aft compartment closeouts were completed Saturday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 10/02/2000) On Wednesday, September 13, 2000, the Zenith-1 (Z-1) Truss arrived at the launch pad early in the morning, and workers transfered it to the Payload Changeout Room (PCR). The payload will be installed into the orbiter Tuesday, Sept. 19. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/13/2000) On Tuesday, September 12, 200, The flight crew arrived at KSC to participate in routine Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities through Friday morning. The Test culminates with a full dress rehearsal and a simulated emergency egress from the Discovery's crew module at Pad 39A. The crew plans to depart KSC for Houston, TX at 2 p.m. on Friday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 9/12/2000) On Monday, September 11, 2000, Discovery moved to Launch Pad 39-A. On Monday, August 28, Shuttle Program managers decided that Space Shuttle Discovery will not roll out to Launch Pad 39A until after the launch of Shuttle Atlantis. The precautionary decision to avoid having two Space Shuttles at KSC's launch pads during hurricane season minimizes the threat that high winds pose to flight hardware. With a successful launch of Shuttle Atlantis on Sept. 8, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A on Sept. 11. Shuttle managers do not expect this processing change to affect Discovery's Oct. 5 launch date. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/28/2000) On Thursday, August 24, 200, after rolling into the VAB transfer aisle, orbiter Discovery was lifted into high bay 3 and soft-mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. Electrical and mechanical connections are ongoing, and the Shuttle Interface Test is scheduled to begin tomorrow. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/28/2000) On Monday, August 21, 2000, Discovery was transfered from OPF bay 1 to OPF bay 3. It remains mounted to the orbiter transporter inside OPF bay 3. The orbiter is being temporarily stored in bay 3 while modifications begin in bay 1. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 8/21/2000) Orbit: Altitude: 177 nm Inclination: 51.60 Orbits: 203 Duration: 12 days, 21 hours, 43 minutes, seconds. (Estimated) Distance: miles Hardware: SRB: SRM: RSRM-71 ET : SN-101 MLP : SSME-1: SN- SSME-2: SN- SSME-3: SN- Landing: October 24, 2000 4:59 p.m. EDT Edwards Air Force Base Runway 22 Main Gear Touchdown 10/24/00 16:59:41 EDT (MET 12 days 21 hours 42 min 41 sec) Nose Gear Touchdown 10/24/00 16:59:54 EDT (MET 12 days 21 hours 42 min 54 sec) Wheel Stop 10/24/00 17:00:47 EDT (MET 12 days 21 hours 43 min 47 sec) The first landing attempt for KSC on October 23, 2000, was waived off because of the continued high winds at the SHuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at KSC. Two landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base (5:58 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. EDT) were also waived off due to clouds and rain in the area. The landing attempts for Sunday, October 22, 2000, were waived off due to cross-wind violations at the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC. Mission Highlights: STS-92 Flight Day 1 Highlights: On Wednesday, October 11, 2000, 7:00 p.m. CDT, STS-92 MCC Status Report #1 reports: Discovery's seven astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center on the 100th mission in Space Shuttle history tonight to deliver the first external framework structure and a new docking port to the International Space Station. Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and Koichi Wakata rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-A at 6:17 p.m. Central time, lighting up the central Florida skies as they began their pursuit of the international complex. At the time of launch, the ISS was orbiting at an altitude of about 230 statute miles over the Indian Ocean, east of India. Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Discovery^Òs astronauts went to work to prepare the Shuttle^Òs systems for their planned 11-day mission. The first major task on the flight plan was to open Discovery^Òs cargo bay doors prior to receiving a ^Ógo^Ô for orbital operations from Ascent Flight Director Wayne Hale. The astronauts are expected to set up computers and flight deck gear before beginning an eight-hour sleep period at 11:17 p.m. Central time. The crew will be awakened at 7:17 a.m. Thursday morning to begin its first full day in space. With this evening^Òs successful launch behind them, Discovery^Òs astronauts will turn their attention to their chase of the International Space Station, performing several firings of the ship^Òs jet thrusters over the next two days to set up a docking with the outpost on Friday at 12:43 p.m. Central time. Over the ensuing week, the crew will install the so-called Z1 truss structure and a third Pressurized Mating Adapter to the Unity module and will perform four space walks to electrically connect the new components. The Station itself continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes in good shape with the exception of two sets of batteries in the Zvezda Service Module which have been disconnected from the module^Òs electrical system because of suspected problems with voltage converters. Battery component spares are expected to be launched on the next unmanned Progress resupply ship to the ISS in November for installation by the first resident crew. Meanwhile, Zvezda is operating normally on six healthy batteries with more than enough electrical power for ISS systems. After an engine firing to circularize its orbit, Discovery will be flying at an altitude of about 190 statute miles in pursuit of the international station and its linkup Friday afternoon. The next STS-92 status report is scheduled at about 7 a.m. Central time Wednesday morning, or sooner, if developments warrant. STS-92 Flight Day 2 Highlights: On Thursday, October 12, 2000, 7:45 a.m. CDT, STS-92 MCC Status Report #2 reports: Space Shuttle Discovery continues its approach to the International Space Station, trailing the orbital outpost by approximately 5500 nautical miles as of this morning, closing by about 600 nautical miles each orbit. The STS-92 crew was awakened at 7:17 a.m. Central time with the song, "Incense And Peppermint" by the group, "Strawberry Alarm Clock". The tune is part of the "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" movie soundtrack and was played for the crew members, who are fans of the film. Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pam Melroy will fire Discovery's thrusters in a continuing series of burns today to refine the Shuttle's approach to the International Space Station, and will check out some of the tools their crewmates will use to provide them with navigation information during the final phases of the Shuttle's approach to the Station for docking. Discovery's linkup to the ISS is planned for 12:43 p.m. Central time Friday afternoon. It will be a day of preparations for Discovery's astronauts as Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria check out the space suits they will wear during four consecutive days of orbital construction space walks. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will power up Discovery's 50-foot long robot arm to ensure it is operating properly and will use it to conduct a photographic survey of the payload bay and the new Space Station components housed inside. In the International Space Station control room in Mission Control, flight controllers continue to prepare the station for the arrival of Discovery's crew by warming up the Unity module and its attached docking port to maintain comfortable working conditions for the astronauts. Discovery's crew will enter the Unity module on Saturday to transfer logistical supplies and hardware associated with the installation of the first external truss structure for the complex. Over the course of the next week, through the space walks and the use of the Shuttle's robot arm, the crew will install both the Z1 truss assembly and Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 to the Unity module of the Station. That adapter is a new docking port for the ISS. The Z1 truss provides a structural backbone for the Station, with four Control Moment Gyroscopes that will be used to maintain the Station's attitude or orientation in space. The truss also houses key communications gear. The truss assembly will support the large solar arrays that will be delivered during the next Shuttle mission, STS-97. Discovery is orbiting at an altitude of about 200 statute miles with all of its systems operating in perfect shape. The next STS-92 mission status report will be issued about 8 p.m. Central time Thursday or sooner, if developments warrant. On Thursday, October 12, 2000, 8:00 p.m. CDT, STS-92 MCC Status Report #3 reports: The seven crew members aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery spent their first full day in orbit today checking equipment in preparation for the major events to come: docking with the International Space Station on Friday and, in following days, attaching an exterior framework and additional Shuttle docking port to the orbiting outpost. The crew found everything in good shape aboard the Shuttle, although a failure in one of Discovery's communications systems may prevent Mission Control from visually following many of the crew's activities through live television. At about 9 a.m. Central today, flight controllers noted a failure in Discovery's Ku-Band communications system, a system used for high-rate communications - including television -- that includes a dish-shaped antenna in the Shuttle's cargo bay. The failure, still being analyzed by engineers, prevents the system from transmitting or receiving any usable communications. The Ku-Band system initially worked well when activated yesterday, only a few hours after launch. The Shuttle has other communications systems that are operating well. The loss of the Ku-Band system will not impact the crew's ability to successfully complete all of the flight's objectives. However, the failure of the Ku-Band system may drastically reduce the potential for live televisio! n to be transmitted to the ground for the remainder of the mission. Discovery is trailing the International Space Station by about 1,680 statute miles, continuing to close in on the orbiting complex at a rate of 201 statute miles with each orbit. Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pam Melroy fired the Shuttle's engin