NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT S-072806

07.28.06

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

STATUS REPORT: S-072806

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT

Note: NASA's Kennedy Space Center issues Space Shuttle Processing
Status Reports periodically and is the source for information
regarding processing activities associated with the vehicles and
payloads. This report does not necessarily reflect the chronological
order of future space shuttle missions. If you are a member of the
media and would like further information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/index.html

Mission: STS-115 - 19th International Space Station Flight (12A) -
P3/P4 Truss Segment and Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Vehicle Assembly Building
Launch Date: No earlier than Aug. 27, 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

On Monday, Atlantis rolled from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 to
the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it was lifted into high bay 3
for mating to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.
Mating operations and checkouts are under way. The shuttle is
scheduled to roll to Launch Pad 39B on July 31, with first motion
targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The STS-115 payload was transferred to
the launch pad on Wednesday and is scheduled to be installed in
Atlantis' payload bay on Aug. 2. Mission managers made the decision
to move the opening of Atlantis' launch planning window to Aug. 27.
The decision was made after it was determined that lighting
conditions for launch and external tank separation were sufficient to
support imagery analysis.

The payload for STS-115 is the Port 3/4 truss segment, the next major
addition to the 11-segment integrated truss structure that will
eventually span more that 300 feet. The P3/P4 truss, with its two
large solar arrays, will provide one-fourth of the total power
generation capability of the completed station.

Mission: STS-116 - 20th International Space Station Flight (12A.1) -
P5 Truss Segment
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: No earlier than Dec. 14, 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Polansky, Oefelein, Curbeam, Higginbotham, Patrick and Fuglesang

Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Processing of Discovery for its next mission, STS-116, continues in
Orbiter Processing Facility 3. The payload bay doors have been
opened, and engineers are performing thermography inspections of the
nose cap and reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the wing leading
edges. The orbiter's main engines were removed on Wednesday and the
orbiter boom sensor system is scheduled to be removed today. Workers
are also performing a checkout of the forward reaction control
system.

Endeavour (OV-105)

Powered-up system testing continues on Endeavour in Orbiter Processing
Facility bay 2 following an extensive modification period. Functional
testing of the atmosphere revitalization pressure control system
continues this week. This system maintains crew module pressure
during flight. Workers completed the elevon and body flap rigging
verification and calibration. Rigging and alignment of the remote
manipulator system manipulator positioning mechanisms are under way.
The star tracker doors were installed this week. The star tracker is
part of the on-orbit guidance system.


-end-


--
--------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.nl