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  BY JUSTIN RAY May 28, 2000 -- Follow the pre-flight preparations and mission of space shuttle Atlantis to repair the International Space Station. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2000 The main concern right now is weather conditions in Florida. The forecast is currently calling for crosswinds gusting to 15 knots, or three knots above the 12-knot limit. In addition, rain and thunderstorms in advance of an approaching cold front are possible around KSC overnight. The first full weather briefing of the evening is expected just over an hour from now. Looking ahead, the deorbit preparation timeline starts at 9:13 p.m. EDT. The space shuttle's payload bay doors will be closed at 10:33 p.m. EDT and the spacecraft's radiators will no longer provide cooling once they are closed. Mission Control will give a "go" or "no go" call for transition to the software phase known as "Ops 3" at 10:45 p.m., shifting the onboard computers' attention to deorbit and entry tasks. The astronauts start getting into their launch and entry suits at 11:49 p.m., climb into their seats at 12:13 a.m., perform a gimbal check of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 12:35 a.m. and pre-start the auxiliary power units to generate hydraulic power for the aerodynamic surfaces at 12:39 a.m. Approval for the deorbit burn, weather permitting, would be made at 12:58 a.m., followed by maneuvering the shuttle to the proper burn attitude. Firing the OMS engines would occur at 1:13 a.m. EDT for the first landing opportunity, slowing the forward speed and dropping the spacecraft from orbit. Touchdown is planned for 2:20 a.m. EDT Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. A second opportunity for landing occurs one orbit later with a deorbit burn at 2:50 a.m. and a landing at KSC at 3:56 a.m. EDT.
2015 GMT (4:15 p.m. EDT) The weather at the Kennedy Space Center landing site, however, is threatening to delay the planned 2:20 a.m. EDT (0620 GMT) touchdown. The forecast is currently calling for crosswinds above the 12-knot limit. Rainshowers associated with an approaching cold front also will be watched closely. A backup landing opportunity will be available one orbit later with touchdown at 3:56 a.m. EDT (0756 GMT). If weather prevents landing for both orbits, NASA will keep Atlantis in space until Tuesday. The alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California is not being activated for Monday or Tuesday. Later today the astronauts will complete some housekeeping chores and have lunch before beginning the deorbit preparation checklist just after 9 p.m. EDT.
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2000
0200 GMT (10:00 p.m. EDT) With all major mission objectives successfully completed, Atlantis' crew turned its attention to a planned return trip home, with a landing scheduled for 2:20 a.m. EDT (0620 GMT) on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Shortly after 8 p.m. EDT Saturday, 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 12 a.m. EDT -- 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. 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 2:20 a.m. EDT landing at KSC, Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines would be fired in a deorbit burn at 1:13 a.m. EDT. 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 2:50 a.m. EDT resulting in a 3:56 a.m. EDT landing.
SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2000
FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2000 Later today the crew will have some time off to rest. Atlantis scheduled to return home early Monday morning at Kennedy Space Center's three-mile long landing strip.
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THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2000
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2000
0001 GMT (8:01 p.m. EDT) The crew's will continue their maintenance work and transfer of supplies to the outpost today, an activities than began yesterday. During the first day, the astronauts 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 Jeff Williams and Jim 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. Repair and maintenance work today, NASA says, includes the third of four planned replacements of station batteries. Susan Helms and Yuri 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.
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2000
0520 GMT (1:20 a.m. EDT) Mission specialists Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev installed a new battery, a charge-discharge unit and a current converter controller. The two crewmembers are slated to install a second battery and another charge-discharge unit overnight. Two more batteries, two more chargers and at least one additional controller will be installed Tuesday and Wednesday. No problems have been reported tonight and the air quality and noise levels do not seem to be a concern to the astronauts.
0005 GMT (8:05 p.m. EDT) According to NASA: 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.
MONDAY, MAY 22, 2000 Today's wakeup call was "Haunted House" by Ray Buchanan since the opening lyrics say "I just moved into a new house today" 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. 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 Yuri 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.
0833 GMT (4:33 a.m. EDT) NASA officials in Mission Control say all the tasks scheduled during the spacewalk were successfully completed, including installation of a Russian-made telescoping cargo boom to the station's exterior, replacement of a failed U.S. communications antenna assembly, attaching more handrails to the station's hull and latching down a wobbly American-built cargo crane. This marked the 85th spacewalk in U.S. history and the fifth dedicated to assembly of the International Space Station. To date, shuttle astronauts have performed over 300 hours of EVAs. The duration of the four previous station assembly spacewalks is 29 hours, 17 minutes, three of which were conducted on STS-88 in December 1998 and one on STS-96 a year ago. The seven shuttle Atlantis astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period just before 9 a.m. EDT today. Tonight, the crew will enter the space station for the first time, beginning several days of maintenance work and delivery of a ton of supplies and equipment for future outpost residents.
0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT) The two were asked, and completed, a slight twist of the U.S. cargo crane mounted to the side of the International Space Station at the request of the Russians. The concern was the crane could block the station's communications antennas. The tools and equipment used this morning are being stowed, the faulty U.S. communications assembly has been returned to the airlock for ferry back to Earth and the astronauts should conclude the spacewalk in the next 45 minutes or so.
0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT) Everything has been proceeding smoothly over 200 miles above Earth and the astronauts are preparing to take some close-out photos of the station before wrapping up the spacewalk -- the only one planned on this 10-day shuttle flight.
0540 GMT (1:40 a.m. EDT) Next up is installation of handrails to the station's hull and a video cable.
0430 GMT (12:30 a.m. EDT) The spacewalk is running about one hour ahead of schedule with no problems reported by the two men. Coming will be replacement of a failed communications antenna assembly on the Unity module's exterior.
0245 GMT (10:45 p.m. EDT) Next up will be installation of the second piece of a Russian cargo crane and its repositioning on the station's hull. The first segment was attached on STS-96.
MONDAY, MAY 22, 2000 Over the next half-hour or so, Williams and Voss will set up work platforms and other equipment they will need tonight. Their first job then will be to firmly latch a wobbly U.S. cargo crane attached to the station's exterior a year ago by other American astronauts. We will update the spacewalk's progress throughout the night.
SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2000 Mission specialists Jeff Williams and Jim Voss are slated to conduct the 6 1/2 hour spacewalk. Among their tasks will be to 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. They then will complete assembly of a Russian cargo crane -- called Strela -- that began on 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. Next up will be the replacement 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.
1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT) The seven astronauts went to sleep at 9:11 a.m. EDT this morning and will be awaken at 5:11 p.m. EDT 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 7:11 p.m. EDT, leading to a predicted exit from Atlantis' airlock hatch at 10:31 p.m. EDT 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 5:01 a.m. EDT Monday.
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0150 GMT (9:50 p.m. EDT)
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2000 As with all such rendezvous, Atlantis will begin the final approach from a distance of about eight nautical miles behind the target. It will first fly beneath the station, then loop up directly in front and continue on until it is poised directly above the outpost. From there, commander James Halsell will manually guide the shuttle down to docking while the two spacecraft are within view of a Russian ground station.
1727 GMT (1:27 p.m. EDT)
0100 GMT (9:00 p.m. EDT) The seven astronauts were awakened Friday evening to begin their first full day in space. Mission Control played the song "Free Fallin'" to wake up the crew at 7:11 p.m. EDT (2311 GMT), concluding an eight-hour sleep period. Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev will spend much of the day checking out Atlantis' systems and spacewalking equipment, while continuing to slowly close in on the station through a series of calculated rendezvous maneuvers. Just after the crew woke up, the shuttle was reported to be in an orbit 199 by 98 statue miles above the Earth, 2,700 miles behind the station and closing at a rate of 546 miles ever 90-minute orbit. Atlantis' orbit will be raised and the closing rate decreased during the next day. The crew will examine and prepare the tools needed during the rendezvous and docking while conducting routine test of the spacesuits that will be used by Williams and Voss during the planned spacewalk Sunday night. Also on tap is a test of Atlantis' 50-foot long robotic arm by Halsell and Weber. The arm will be checked out during a video survey of the payload bay, ensuring the arm is functioning properly to support the spacewalk.
FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2000 In space currently, Atlantis' payload bay doors have been swung open and Mission Control has given the crew a "go" for on-orbit operations.
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1055 GMT (6:55 a.m. EDT) Watch a QuickTime video clip of Atlantis' sunrise launch.
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1010:39 GMT (6:10:39 a.m. EDT) In the next few seconds the solid rocket booster hydraulic power units will be started and the orbiter's body flap and speed brake will be moved to their launch positions. The main engine ignition will begin at T-minus 6.6 seconds.
1010:10 GMT (6:10:10 a.m. EDT) Shortly the external tank strut heaters will be turned off; Atlantis will transition to internal power and the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen outboard fill and drain valves will be closed.
1008:40 GMT (6:07:40 a.m. EDT) In the next few seconds the gaseous oxygen vent hood will be removed from the top of the external tank. Verification that the swing arm is fully retracted will be made by the ground launch sequencer at the T-37 second mark. Coming up on T-minus 2 minutes. The astronauts will be instructed to close and lock the visors on their launch and entry helmets. At T-minus 1 minute, 57 seconds the replenishment of the flight load of liquid hydrogen in the external tank will be terminated and tank pressurization will begin.
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1006:10 GMT (6:06:10 a.m. EDT) Over the course of the next minute, the orbiter's heaters will be configured for launch by commander Jim Halsell, the fuel valve heaters on the main engines will be turned off in preparation for engine ignition at T-6.6 seconds and the external tank and solid rocket booster safe and arm devices will be armed.
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1003:10 GMT (6:03:10 a.m. EDT) The launch of STS-101 will mark the 98th flight in the space shuttle program since 1981, the 73nd since return-to-flight after Challenger, the 21st for Atlantis and the second shuttle flight of 2000.
1002:10 GMT (6:02:10 a.m. EDT) The Eastern Range reports all its radars are now back up.
0958 GMT (5:58 a.m. EDT) Once the countdown picks up, the Ground Launch Sequencer will be initiated. The master computer program is located in a console in Firing Room 1 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center. The GLS is the master of events through liftoff. During the last 9 minutes of the countdown, the computer will monitor as many as a thousand different systems and measurements to ensure that they do not fall out of any pre-determine red-line limits. At T-minus 31 seconds, the GLS will hand off to the onboard computers of Atlantis to complete their own automatic sequence of events through the final half minute of the countdown.
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0907 GMT (5:07 a.m. EDT) Atlantis' onboard computers are now transitioning to the Major Mode-101 program, the primary ascent software. Also, engineers are dumping the Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) onboard computers. The data that is dumped from each of PASS computers is compared to verify that the proper software is loaded aboard for launch. In about one minute, the astronauts will configure the backup computer to MM-101 and the test team will verify backup flight control system (BFS) computer is tracking the PASS computer systems.
0857 GMT (4:57 a.m. EDT) During this built-in hold, all computer programs in Firing Room 1 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center will be verified to ensure that the proper programs are available for the countdown; the landing convoy status will be verified and the landing sites will be checked to support an abort landing during launch today; the Inertial Measurement Unit preflight alignment will be verified completed; and preparations are made to transition the orbiter onboard computers to Major Mode 101 upon coming out of the hold. This configures the computer memory to a terminal countdown configuration.
0850 GMT (4:50 a.m. EDT) Also, commander Jim Halsell has pressurized the gaseous nitrogen system for Atlantis' Orbital Maneuvering System engines, and pilot Scott Horowitz has activated the gaseous nitrogen supply for the orbiter's Auxiliary Power Units' water boilers.
0840 GMT (4:40 a.m. EDT) The ships sailed from Port Canaveral on Thursday. They are currently in position about 7 1/2 miles from the predicted impact area performing an electronic search of the area to ensure it is cleared of all shipping traffic. Follow the boosters' parachuted descent and splashdown in the Atlantic, the recovery teams will configure the SRBs for tow back to Port Canaveral, with arrival expected this weekend. Also the Range Safety countdown hold tests have been completed. The countdown is continuing toward this morning's planned 6:11:10 a.m. EDT (1011:10 GMT) launch.
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0815 GMT (4:15 a.m. EDT) Also the pre-flight alignment of Atlantis' Inertial Measurement Units is now beginning, and will be completed by the T-minus 20 minute mark. The IMUs were calibrated over the past few hours of the countdown. The three units are used by the onboard navigation systems to determine the position of the orbiter in flight. Also in the countdown, the booster test conductor will verify the chamber pressure in the twin solid rocket motors. Sensors measure pressure in the thrust chambers at nozzles of the boosters. The data tells onboard computers when the boosters have consumed their solid-fuel propellant and should be separated in-flight. Launch remains targeted for 6:11:10 a.m. EDT (1011:10 GMT) this morning from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
0803 GMT (4:03 a.m. EDT) Meanwhile, initialization of the ground launch sequencer has been completed. The GLS is the master computer program that will control the final nine minutes of the countdown to launch.
0754 GMT (3:54 a.m. EDT) See our photo gallery from this morning.
0745 GMT (3:45 a.m. EDT)
0727 GMT (3:27 a.m. EDT) You can read Williams' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
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0715 GMT (3:15 a.m. EDT) You can read Helms' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
0714 GMT (3:14 a.m. EDT) Be sure to watch our video clip of the astronauts leaving their quarters this morning. [QuickTime file]
0710 GMT (3:10 a.m. EDT) You can read Weber's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
0703 GMT (3:03 a.m. EDT) You can read Voss' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
0659 GMT (2:59 a.m. EDT) You can read Horowitz's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
0651 GMT (2:51 a.m. EDT) You can read Usachev's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
0649 GMT (2:49 a.m. EDT) You can read Halsell's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
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0640 GMT (2:40 a.m. EDT)
0624 GMT (2:24 a.m. EDT) The convoy will stop at the Launch Control Center for the NASA management and chief NASA astronaut Charlie Precourt to exit the Astrovan. The managers will take their positions in Firing Room 1 while Precourt heads over to the Shuttle Landing Facility to begin weather reconnaissance flights in a T-38 jet. Later he will switch to the modified Gulfstream jet, which is known as the Shuttle Training Aircraft because its flying characteristics are very similar to the space shuttle.
0617 GMT (2:17 a.m. EDT) The astronauts are expected to depart their quarters for the launch pad in about five minutes.
0557 GMT (1:57 a.m. EDT) A weather briefing from the Spaceflight Meteorology Group based at Mission Control has just completed and conditions are reported favorable here at Kennedy Space Center and abort landing sites in California, New Mexico, Africa and Spain. Launch of Atlantis remains scheduled for 6:12 a.m. EDT this morning.
0520 GMT (1:20 a.m. EDT) Following tanking procedures, a team called the Final Inspection Team was dispatched to the pad to check the vehicle one last time prior to liftoff. Currently, the six-person team, comprised of five engineers and one safety official, is performing the inspections at pad 39A. At the conclusion of their two-hour tour-of-duty, they will have walked up and down the entire 380-foot fixed service structure and mobile launcher platform. The team is on the lookout for any abnormal ice or frost build-up on the vehicle that could break-off during ignition and damage the spacecraft. The team, which is headed by Greg Katnik of the Kennedy Space Center, is also looking for any loose debris that could possibly fly up and strike the launch vehicle. And the third item of interest to the team is the thermal integrity of the external tank foam insulation. The team uses a portable infrared scanner that gathers temperature measurements on the surface area of the vehicle and can spot leaks. The scanner will be used to obtain temperature data on the external tank, solid rocket boosters, space shuttle orbiter, main engines and launch pad structures. The scanner can also spot leaks of the cryogenic propellants, and due to its ability to detect distinct temperature differences, can spot any dangerous hydrogen fuel that is burning. One teammember is also responsible for photo documentation. Each member of the Final Inspection Team is in constant contact with NASA Test Director Steve Altemus in Firing Room 1. The team wears the highly visible day-glo-orange coveralls that are anti-static and flame resistant. Each member also has a self-contained emergency breathing unit that holds about 10 minutes of air. Following the Final Inspection Team's activities, Greg Katnik will meet with NASA Launch Director Dave King, the Mission Management Team, and engineering directors in the launch control center. Katnik will give the managers a full and detailed report on the team's inspections and findings at the pad 39A. A full inspection of the vehicle and pad was performed yesterday and the external tank received a thorough check prior to fueling. An inspection of the launch pad and beach will be made following launch today. That inspection will be to look for anything unusual, particularly anything that could have fallen off of the vehicle during the first few seconds of flight. Later there will be a meeting to review high-speed videotape and film of the launch and early ascent to determine if there was any damage to the vehicle.
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0110 GMT (9:10 p.m. EDT) NASA officials say they are not working any technical problems and the weather looks favorable for launch at 6:12 a.m. EDT (1012 GMT), the opening of a five-minute window. The seven astronauts were awakened to begin their launch day activities at 4:45 p.m. EDT. Commander Jim Halsell, pilot Scott Horowitz and mission specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev had breakfast a half-hour later. The crewmembers are on their sleep and work schedule for the 10-day mission, which includes being awake in the overnight hours U.S. time and sleeping during the day. The traditional pre-launch astronaut photo opportunity in the Crew Quarters' Dining Room will occur at 1:12 a.m. EDT and be carried live on NASA TV. The crew then will begin suiting up. Their departure for the launch pad is scheduled for 2:22 a.m. EDT. Throughout the morning on Thursday, functional checks of Atlantis' star tracker were completed, the three Inertial Measurement Units were activated, along with the shuttle's communications systems. The rotating service structure at pad 39A was rolled back from the shuttle, arriving in its park position for launch just after 1 p.m. EDT. The countdown clocks resumed ticking from the T-minus 11 hour hold at 2:19 p.m. EDT, and the shuttle's three electricity-producing fuel cells were turned on. The launch pad was cleared of all non-essential personnel at about 4:30 p.m. EDT as the drama began building toward liftoff. The count entered a two-hour planned hold at the T-minus 6 hour mark at 7:19 p.m. EDT. During this time, the launch team is in the process of verifing there are no problems violating launch commit criteria rules, and the pad was cleared of all workers. The Mission Management Team convened its standard "pre-tanking" meeting at 8:30 p.m. EDT to review the health of the shuttle and the latest weather forecast. With no significant concerns, officials instructed the launch team to begin fueling Atlantis for launch. The fueling process, or "tanking", starts by allowing a small amount of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to flow from their respective launch pad storage tanks into the propellant lines. This "chilldown" thermally conditions the lines for the fueling operation. The actual fueling activity will take three hours to complete as 528,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are pumped from the storage tanks into Atlantis' bullet-shaped external tank.
THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2000 At launch pad 39A, the rotating service structure will be rolled away from Atlantis in the next hour and fueling operations should start tonight just before 9 p.m. EDT. We will have extensive live reports on this page throughout the night during the final hours of the countdown and Atlantis' climb to orbit.
TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2000 Wednesday will be the last try for Lockheed Martin to get the Atlas 3A airborne this week. After Wednesday, whether the rocket is launched or not, the Range will be reconfigured for the space shuttle. Once Atlantis goes or uses up its three tries, then Atlas could be rescheduled. The initial launch attempt of the Atlas 3A rocket was scrapped on Monday evening due to a faulty Range tracking radar in Bermuda. Engineers traced that problem to an input/output card in the system, which was successfully replaced earlier today.
MONDAY, MAY 15, 2000 There are no major problems being addressed by NASA and forecasters are predicting a 90 percent chance of good weather Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Florida. And forecasters with the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center in Houston say good conditions also are expected at the shuttle's emergency runways in Spain and Africa. Atlantis was grounded April 24 and 25 by high winds in Florida and again on April 26 by high winds and rain at the overseas landing sites. "Here we are again, ready to pick up the launch count," NASA test director Steve Altemus told reporters this morning. "The vehicle is in great shape." Work at launch pad 39A continues on schedule. The aft engine compartment has been closed for flight and preparations are proceeding to begin loading the shuttle's three onboard fuel cells with cryogenic reactants at about 5:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow. Weather forecasters are currently predicting only a 10 percent chance of weather violating launch constraints on Thursday. The only concern is for possible ground fog. The launch time forecast calls for a few clouds at 3,000 feet, visibility of 7 miles, a temperature of 71 degrees F, humidity of 93 percent and winds from the south at 8 knots peaking to 12 knots. The seven Atlantis astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center last night to begin final pre-flight preparations.
MONDAY, MAY 15, 2000 Launch crews are not reporting any technical problems and the weather is looking good for Thursday's liftoff at approximately 6:38 a.m. EDT (1038 GMT).
0315 GMT (11:15 p.m. EDT) Countdown clocks will begin ticking Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. EDT for Thursday's scheduled sunrise liftoff.
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2000 The seven international astronauts are due to arrive at KSC tonight to begin final pre-launch preparations. They returned to their home base at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, after the last attempt was scrubbed in late April. The crew is expected at about 11:30 p.m. EDT tonight (0330 GMT Monday). Meanwhile, the three-day shuttle countdown is slated to start at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) Monday in Firing Room 1 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center. Thursday's liftoff is targeted to occur at about 6:38 a.m. EDT (1038 GMT). However, that time will be refined to the exact second about 90 minutes prior to launch based upon the latest radar tracking of the International Space Station's orbit. Given an on-time launch Thursday, Atlantis should reach the station early Sunday with docking expected around 12:32 a.m. EDT (0432 GMT). The mission's one spacewalk will follow late Sunday night and into Monday morning. After several days of repairs and delivery of supplies to the station, the astronauts will undock on May 26 at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT). Landing at Kennedy Space Center is currently scheduled for 2:18 a.m. EDT (0618 GMT) on May 29.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2000 The Kennedy Space Center today issued the following report on the current status of Atlantis:
1519 GMT (11:19 a.m. EDT) The shuttle's mission will now slip to May 18, the first available launch slot from Cape Canaveral. Tracking and safety equipment, operated by the U.S. Air Force, is fully booked until then. A launch on the 18th would occur at about 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 GMT). Space station managers have decided not to perform a maneuver this weekend to refine the station's orbit. They will continue to evaluate the need for a thruster firing to line up the station for daily launch opportunities for Atlantis and to boost the craft's altitude.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2000
0401 GMT (12:01 a.m. EDT) NASA officials say a decision must be made today in order to have the shuttle ready to lift off as soon as next week. The agency is considering taking the scheduled launch slot of the GOES-L weather satellite next Wednesday for use by Atlantis. GOES-L is being launched by NASA aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. See our update below for more on the busy Range at the Cape and read our earlier story with more details. Meanhile, the shuttle launch team has completed work to offload Atlantis' external tank. This week, tankers filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will deliver the commodities to KSC in order to replenish the storage spheres at launch pad 39A. Today, crew module destow operations are underway and no SPACEHAB access is required. Managers expect minimal work on the shuttle. The seven astronauts have returned to Houston, Texas, and remain in quarantine while launch options are being reviewed.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2000 Lockheed Martin, which builds and launches the Atlas rocket, is strongly arguing against moving the GOES mission from May 3, saying it would badly disrupt its launch schedule, according to NASA and industry sources. NASA's shuttle program is desperately seeking a new launch date after Atlantis' space station repair mission was delayed three times this week by bad weather. But the next open date is not until May 18. If NASA ordered a delay for GOES, Lockheed Martin might proceed with its next Atlas mission on May 15, the high-profile, inaugural launch of its new Atlas 3 rocket, with the Eutelsat W4 communications satellite aboard. That would force the GOES satellite to be removed from its rocket on launch pad 36A, so it would be out of harm's way during the liftoff of the Atlas 3 from neighboring pad 36B. That would delay the launch of GOES well into late-May and also would push back the next mission from pad 36A, the launch of a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. Sources said, Lockheed Martin wants to keep the Atlas 3 mission, which is for a commercial customer, on track to defuse competitors' claims that the U.S. launch industry is hostage to the demands of NASA and military users, which share the nation's spaceports. The final decision on which mission flies first will probably lie with NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and might not be made until tomorrow morning.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2000 NASA officials will meet tomorrow morning to review the options available to the space agency in rescheduling Atlantis' space station repair mission. The main stumbling block is the Air Force-controlled Range, which is booked with other launches and tests over the next couple of weeks at nearby Cape Canaveral. The Range provides safety, tracking and communications relay services to all Florida launches, and needs 24 hours between events to reconfigure its systems. The Range logjam begins tomorrow when an Air Force Titan 4B rocket undergoes its Combined Systems Test -- a mission dress rehearsal. The reconfiguration day will be Friday with classified operations scheduled over the weekend. Another undisclosed test is planned on Monday. Tuesday will be spent reconfiguring in preparation for the predawn launch Wednesday of a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket carrying the GOES-L weather satellite for NASA and NOAA. A backup launch date is available on Wednesday, May 4. The next notable event on the Range is planned on May 8 when the Titan rocket launch is slated, and a backup date of the 9th. The oft-delayed launch of a Boeing Delta 2 rocket carrying an Air Force Global Positioning System satellite is now officially scheduled for May 10, with a backup date of the 11th. Then the inaugural Atlas 3A rocket is slated for liftoff on May 15. Air Force spokesman Ken Warren said the range conducts an average of 160 operations per year, less than 30 of which are space launches. The end result: NASA faces waiting until May 18 before having an open date on the Range. However, there is some potential officials within the agency could decide to bump the GOES-L launch on May 3, which is a NASA mission, in order to allow Atlantis to fly sooner. The situation is fluid and things can change easily, including delays in any of the May launches or tests that could open up an opportunity for Atlantis to fly.
1954 GMT (3:54 p.m. EDT) A liftoff on May 3 might be possible if the launch of a NASA GOES weather satellite is bumped to a later date. A launch on that day could require a "phasing burn" by the Zarya module to bring the station in line for a rendezvous.
1920 GMT (3:20 p.m. EDT) When the next attempt to launch Atlantis will be made is not yet known. There are several tests and launches scheduled at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that will likely prevent Atlantis from trying again for about a week at least.
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1900 GMT (3:00 p.m. EDT) Countdown clocks continue holding at T-minus 9 minutes. Today's launch window opens at 3:29:13 p.m. EDT (1929:13 GMT) and extends to 3:34:08 p.m. EDT (1934:08 GMT).
1857 GMT (2:57 p.m. EDT)
1844 GMT (2:44 p.m. EDT) NASA has scrubbed only four space shuttle launches in the 19-year history of the program due to bad weather at the Trans-Oceanic Abort Landing Sites: January 7, 1986 for STS-61C; January 24, 1986 for STS-51L; June 20, 1993 for STS-57 and November 11, 1995 for STS-74. This is the only problem standing in the way of today's launch attempt.
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1824 GMT (2:24 p.m. EDT) Atlantis' onboard computers are now transitioning to the Major Mode-101 program, the primary ascent software. Also, engineers are dumping the Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) onboard computers. The data that is dumped from each of PASS computers is compared to verify that the proper software is loaded aboard for launch. In about one minute, the astronauts will configure the backup computer to MM-101 and the test team will verify backup flight control system (BFS) computer is tracking the PASS computer systems.
1814 GMT (2:14 p.m. EDT) During this built-in hold, all computer programs in Firing Room 1 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center will be verified to ensure that the proper programs are available for the countdown; the landing convoy status will be verified and the landing sites will be checked to support an abort landing during launch today; the Inertial Measurement Unit preflight alignment will be verified completed; and preparations are made to transition the orbiter onboard computers to Major Mode 101 upon coming out of the hold. This configures the computer memory to a terminal countdown configuration.
1808 GMT (2:08 p.m. EDT) Also, commander Jim Halsell has pressurized the gaseous nitrogen system for Atlantis' Orbital Maneuvering System engines, and pilot Scott Horowitz has activated the gaseous nitrogen supply for the orbiter's Auxiliary Power Units' water boilers.
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1750 GMT (1:50 p.m. EDT) Meanwhile, NASA launch commentator George Diller says all three emergency landing sites across the Atlantic Ocean are currently "no-go" due to bad weather. One site must have acceptable weather for NASA to clear Atlantis for launch today.
1740 GMT (1:40 p.m. EDT) The ships sailed from Port Canaveral on Sunday. In about one hour, they will be verified in position about 7 1/2 miles from the predicted impact area. Later they will perform an electronic search of the area to ensure it is cleared of all shipping traffic. Follow the boosters' parachuted descent and splashdown in the Atlantic, the recovery teams will configure the SRBs for tow back to Port Canaveral, with arrival expected on Saturday morning. Also the Range Safety countdown hold tests have been completed. There are no technical problems today but NASA is watching bad weather at abort landing sites in Spain and Africa. The current target launch time is 3:29:13 p.m. EDT (1929:13 GMT), the opening of a 5-minute, 3-second window today.
1731 GMT (1:31 p.m. EDT) Also the pre-flight alignment of Atlantis' Inertial Measurement Units is now beginning, and will be completed by the T-minus 20 minute mark. The IMUs were calibrated over the past few hours of the countdown. The three units are used by the onboard navigation systems to determine the position of the orbiter in flight. Also in the countdown, the booster test conductor will verify the chamber pressure in the twin solid rocket motors. Sensors measure pressure in the thrust chambers at nozzles of the boosters. The data tells onboard computers when the boosters have consumed their solid-fuel propellant and should be separated in-flight.
1718 GMT (1:18 p.m. EDT)
1700 GMT (1:00 p.m. EDT) Meanwhile, initialization of the ground launch sequencer has been completed. The GLS is the master computer program that will control the final nine minutes of the countdown to launch. NASA continues to watch the abort landing sites in Spain and Africa. However, officials remain hopeful one site will be acceptable by the planned 3:27 p.m. EDT (1927 GMT) launch time.
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1634 GMT (12:34 p.m. EDT) You can read Williams' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1630 GMT (12:30 p.m. EDT) You can read Helms' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1621 GMT (12:21 p.m. EDT) You can read Weber's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1618 GMT (12:18 p.m. EDT) You can read Voss' biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1611 GMT (12:11 p.m. EDT) You can read Horowitz's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1605 GMT (12:05 p.m. EDT) You can read Usachev's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
1603 GMT (12:03 p.m. EDT) You can read Halsell's biography and watch a video interview in our Crew Report.
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1541 GMT (11:41 a.m. EDT) The convoy will stop at the Launch Control Center for the NASA management and chief NASA astronaut Charlie Precourt to exit the Astrovan. The managers will take their positions in Firing Room 1 while Precourt heads over to the Shuttle Landing Facility to begin weather reconnaissance flights in a T-38 jet. Later he will switch to the modified Gulfstream jet, which is known as the Shuttle Training Aircraft because its flying characteristics are very similar to the space shuttle. Precourt's observations will be critical today as NASA watches the crosswinds at the runway.
1534 GMT (11:34 a.m. EDT) The astronauts are expected to depart their quarters for the launch pad in about five minutes.
1526 GMT (11:26 a.m. EDT)
1516 GMT (11:16 a.m. EDT) The weather in the United States looks promising, unlike the past two days when crosswinds here in Florida scrubbed the launch. But the real concern today will be the emergency sites in Spain and Africa where all three locations are forecasted to have problems at the planned 3:27 p.m. EDT (1927 GMT) launch time. At Zaragoza in Spain, the forecast calls for showers within 20 nautical miles and broken clouds at 4,000 feet, both of which are constraints. In Moron, Spain, the problems are showers and thunderstorms wihin 20 miles and broken clouds at 3,000 feet. The best hope today is Ben Guerir, Morocco, where is it currently clear. However, a weather system is closing in and the forecast for launch time this afternoon is unfavorable with the chance of broken clouds at 3,000 feet. The astronauts are finishing suiting up and will depart for the launch pad in about 20 minutes. The crew has asked to be kept updated on the wind situation once they are onboard Atlantis this afternoon.
1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT) The crew was awakened at 2:15 a.m. EDT (0615 GMT) today. They had breakfast about a half-hour later and lunch about an hour ago. The astronauts will receive a weather briefing at 10:47 a.m. and begin suiting up at 10:57 a.m. EDT. Departure from the Crew Quarters for pad 39A is scheduled for 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT). In the countdown, the Range Safety's solid rocket booster hold-fire checks have been completed. Also, the Final Inspection Team has completed its work on the Mobile Launcher Platform with no problems found. They are now headed for the Fixed Service Structure to continue inspections of the shuttle and pad for ice and debris.
1412 GMT (10:12 a.m. EDT) Also, data from the high-altitude weather balloons are showing winds aloft to be acceptable for launch today at 3:27 p.m. EDT.
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1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT) Following tanking procedures, a team called the Final Inspection Team was dispatched to the pad to check the vehicle one last time prior to liftoff. Currently, the six-person team, comprised of five engineers and one safety official, is performing the inspections at pad 39A. At the conclusion of their two-hour tour-of-duty, they will have walked up and down the entire 380-foot fixed service structure and mobile launcher platform. The team is on the lookout for any abnormal ice or frost build-up on the vehicle that could break-off during ignition and damage the spacecraft. The team, which is headed by Greg Katnik of the Kennedy Space Center, is also looking for any loose debris that could possibly fly up and strike the launch vehicle. And the third item of interest to the team is the thermal integrity of the external tank foam insulation. The team uses a portable infrared scanner that gathers temperature measurements on the surface area of the vehicle and can spot leaks. The scanner will be used to obtain temperature data on the external tank, solid rocket boosters, space shuttle orbiter, main engines and launch pad structures. The scanner can also spot leaks of the cryogenic propellants, and due to its ability to detect distinct temperature differences, can spot any dangerous hydrogen fuel that is burning. One teammember is also responsible for photo documentation. Each member of the Final Inspection Team is in constant contact with NASA Test Director Steve Altemus in Firing Room 1. The team wears the highly visible day-glo-orange coveralls that are anti-static and flame resistant. Each member also has a self-contained emergency breathing unit that holds about 10 minutes of air. Following the Final Inspection Team's activities, Greg Katnik will meet with NASA Launch Director Dave King, the Mission Management Team, and engineering directors in the launch control center. Katnik will give the managers a full and detailed report on the team's inspections and findings at the pad 39A. A full inspection of the vehicle and pad was performed on Sunday and the external tank received a thorough check prior to fueling. An inspection of the launch pad and beach will be made following launch today. That inspection will be to look for anything unusual, particularly anything that could have fallen off of the vehicle during the first few seconds of flight. Later there will be a meeting to review high-speed videotape and film of the launch and early ascent to determine if there was any damage to the vehicle.
1354 GMT (9:54 a.m. EDT)
1345 GMT (9:45 a.m. EDT) The problems at Ben Guerir are low clouds and high crosswinds and the Spanish sites both are reporting lightning and a low deck of broken clouds. NASA astronauts are flying aircraft at the sites for weather reconnaissance, providing their opinions to Mission Control in Houston where the final decision will be made concerning abort landing site weather.
1334 GMT (9:34 a.m. EDT) Fueling of space shuttle Atlantis has been completed. Loading of the external tank with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen wrapped up at 9:11 a.m. EDT. The tank will be replenished through the remainder of the countdown to replace the super-cold cryogenics that naturally boil away. With tanking now complete, three teams have been dispatched to launch pad 39A. The Final Inspection Team and Orbiter Closeout Crew have arrived to begin their work now that fueling has finished. The inspection team will check the shuttle and launch pad for any ice or debris following fueling. The closeout crew will ready Atlantis' crew module for the astronauts' arrival. Meanwhile, a special "Red Team" has been sent to the pad to attempt repairing faulty electronics on one of two heaters that supply warm air to the gaseous oxygen vent hood. The hood, or "beanie cap", covers the top of the external tank to direct away the gaseous oxygen vapors from the tank. The heat is necessary to keep the tank's vents clear of ice. The backup heater is currently working and would allow the countdown to continue. However, if the backup fails too and there neither heaters are working, NASA would have to scrub the launch. The "Red Team" will try to restore redundancy.
1200 GMT (8:00 a.m. EDT) The weather forecast at Kennedy Space Center for today's 3:27 p.m. EDT (1927 GMT) launch time calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions with some scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, visibility of 7 miles, northwest winds at 14 gusting to 20 knots and a temperature at 76 degrees F. The only slight concern is a chance of low cloud ceilings. Winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility are forecast to be northwesterly at 12 gusting to 18 knots, blowing right down the runway and not causing a crosswind today.
1027 GMT (6:27 a.m. EDT) The three-hour process to fill space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank with 528,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen got underway at about 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT).
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2000 NASA plans a management meeting at 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT) tomorrow to review the weather forecast and health of shuttle before allowing the launch team to fuel the craft. The present weather forecast indicates a 90 percent chance of good conditions at Kennedy Space Center for launch. The winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility are expected to shift more northwesterly, blowing right down the runway and not causing a crosswind problem. But all three abort landing sites across the Atlantic Ocean will have some weather concerns. NASA officials, however, will remain hopeful one of the sites will be acceptable. Watch a video clip of NASA Launch Director Dave King announcing today's scrub.
1845 GMT (2:45 p.m. EDT) The launch window tomorrow will extend from 3:26:50 to 3:31:50 p.m. EDT (1926:50-1931:50 GMT). The times will be refined, however, through the final hours of the countdown based upon tracking of the International Space Station.
1827 GMT (2:27 p.m. EDT)
1817 GMT (2:17 p.m. EDT) Officials are planning for another try on Wednesday when the weather is expected to be greatly improved. There is a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions at Kennedy Space Center. The launch window will extend from 3:26 to 3:31 p.m. EDT (1926-1931 GMT). Wednesday's launch attempt will be unprecedented in the 19-year space shuttle program. It will mark the third consecutive day that NASA tried to launch a shuttle. Never before have attempts been made on three straight days.
1751 GMT (1:51 p.m. EDT) The pre-flight alignment of Atlantis' Inertial Measurement Units is now beginning, and will be completed by the T-minus 20 minute mark. The IMUs were calibrated over the past few hours of the countdown. The three units are used by the onboard navigation systems to determine the position of the orbiter in flight. Also in the countdown, the booster test conductor will verify the chamber pressure in the twin solid rocket motors. Sensors measure pressure in the thrust chambers at nozzles of the boosters. The data tells onboard computers when the boosters have consumed their solid-fuel propellant and should be separated in-flight.
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1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EDT) In the countdown, controllers are preparing to upload the latest guidance programs to deal with high-altitude winds Atlantis would encounter during launch today.
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1717 GMT (1:17 p.m. EDT) Mea |
