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SHUTTLE & PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS REPORT

Atlantis' power-producing fuel cells were loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen early Thursday morning after severe thunderstorms caused a delay of several hours. These reactants will provide launch managers with the opportunity to try four launch attempts in five 
days, should that become necessary. No lightning strikes or hail were reported at Launch Pad 39A.

While some operations began later than originally scheduled, much of the remaining work is being performed in parallel and no impact to the planned launch time is expected. Final preparations of the space shuttle main engines are under way, and workers are activating 
communications systems and stowing final items into Atlantis' crew cabin.

Solid rocket booster recovery ships Freedom Star and Liberty Star departed KSC at noon today. Meanwhile, the STS-117 crew continues practicing landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

The rotating service structure is scheduled to retract at 10:30 tonight, and fueling of the external tank is planned for 9:12 a.m. Friday.

There is a 20-percent chance that conditions will not meet the weather criteria for launch Friday. The main concern is clouds associated with inland thunderstorms.

Atlantis' astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center Monday evening and have been practicing landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, conducting fit checks of their launch-and-entry suits, reviewing their timelines and undergoing medical exams.

Launch preparations continue as planned. Following a four-hour built-in hold at the T-27 hour mark, the countdown resumes at 6:30 p.m. EDT today. Transfer of the hydrogen and oxygen reactants will then begin. These will flow through the orbiter mid-body umbilical unit into the power reactant storage and distribution system tanks located beneath the payload bay. These reactants will be used by Atlantis to generate power during the mission. The umbilical unit will be secured once this loading is complete at about 1 a.m. EDT Thursday, when the countdown enters a hold at the T-19 hour mark.

There is a 30-percent chance that conditions will not meet the weather criteria for launch Friday. The main concern is thunderstorms with associated anvil clouds.

At Launch Pad 39A, operations are proceeding on schedule to meet that date. This week, the orbiter, ground and solid rocket booster pyro initiator circuit resistance tests were completed. The orbiter midbody umbilical unit mate operations were also performed. Aft 
closeout operations are under way, with completion scheduled for this weekend. Stowage of flight crew equipment is in progress, and ordnance installation is complete. 

This weekend, the orbiter's main engines, orbital maneuvering system and forward reaction control system will be pressurized for flight. 

NASA STARTS SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS COUNTDOWN JUNE 5

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will start the launch countdown for Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 5, at the T-43 hour point. The countdown includes 27 hours, 32 minutes of built-in hold time leading to a preferred launch time at 
approximately 7:38 p.m. EDT Friday, June 8. The launch window extends an additional five minutes.

During the 11-day mission, Atlantis' crew will resume construction of the International Space Station, working with the station crew to install the girder-like S3/S4 truss segment, unfold a new set of solar arrays and retract one array on the starboard side of the station.

This mission is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the 21st U.S. flight to the International Space Station.  STS-117 is scheduled to land at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Tuesday, June 19.

Atlantis' last mission was STS-115 in September 2006. For the upcoming STS-117 mission, Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39-A from Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building on May 15. Atlantis originally  was targeted for launch in March, but a hail storm damaged foam insulation on the shuttle's external fuel tank and forced managers to  roll the spacecraft back into the Vehicle Assembly Building to make repairs. With the refurbishment of Pad 39-A, this launch will be the  first from the pad in four years.

STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John "Danny" Olivas and Clayton Anderson are scheduled to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center on June 4.

Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Sunita Williams will return to Earth from the space station aboard Atlantis. The flight will carry  Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson to the station. He  will return home aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-120.

A Flight Readiness Review, a two-day meeting to assess preparations for Atlantis' mission, will be held on May 30-31. 

Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived back at Launch Pad 39A on Tuesday, following repairs to the foam on its hail-damaged external fuel tank. Mission STS-117 was originally targeted for launch in mid-March, before a severe thunderstorm in late February generated hail that pelted the tank, ET-124. 

Pad operations are proceeding on schedule. Launch pad validation is complete, and the S3/S4 payload has been installed in Atlantis' payload bay. Preparations have begun for hypergolic propellant loading, which is scheduled for next week. The orbiter weather protection curtain walls have been extended, providing additional protection to the vehicle. 

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, repairs to the foam on the hail-damaged external fuel tank ET-124 are nearly complete, and technicians and engineers are preparing Atlantis for its rollout to Launch Pad 39A, currently scheduled for May 16. Atlantis' three main engines, which were removed last week to allow for inspection of the flow liners, have all been reinstalled, and final checkout and testing are under way.

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians and engineers continue repairing foam on the hail-damaged STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124. Spray foam repairs began this week, and an area on the "ogive pencil point" (at the top of the tank) is scheduled to undergo a spray foam repair this weekend. 

Atlantis' three main engines were removed this week for flow liner contamination inspections, which are now complete. A small piece of RepliSet found in the engine No. 2 flow liner has been removed. The silicon rubber RepliSet is used in making 3-D impressions that help to detect cracks in the main propulsion system fuel line flow liners. Engine No. 3 has been reinstalled, and engineers are reinstalling engines No. 1 and 2.

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians and engineers continue repairing foam on the hail-damaged STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124. Spray foam repairs are scheduled to begin Monday. Workers have begun disassembling the special scaffolding built for the foam repair work, to allow for the removal next week of Atlantis' three main engines to inspect for flow liner contamination.

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians and engineers continue repairing foam on the hail-damaged STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124. The poured foam repairs are nearly complete, and technicians are trimming and sanding repair sites. Spray foam repairs are scheduled to begin next week. Due to the amount of tank repair work remaining, the rollout of Atlantis to the launch pad is now scheduled for May 12. This six-day change should not affect the June 8 target launch date. 

Preparations are complete for the removal of Atlantis' three main engines to inspect for flow liner contamination. Engine removal is scheduled to begin next week. This work can be accomplished within the time frame of the tank repair. 

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians and engineers continue the repair work on the hail-damaged STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124, following a decision this week by Space Shuttle Program managers to target a launch date of June 8 using the repaired tank. 

Preparations are under way for the removal of Atlantis' three main engines to inspect for flow liner contamination. This work can be accomplished within the time frame of the hail damage recovery effort, with no impact to the launch schedule for STS-117.

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, work is under way to assess and repair hail damage to the STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124. Special scaffolding and access platforms have been erected to allow access inspections and repairs. Foam repairs on the liquid hydrogen tank, which is located on the bottom of the ET, are complete, and the focus is currently on repairs to the liquid oxygen tank. 

Shuttle Program managers will meet on April 10 to decide whether to use ET-124 or substitute a new tank, ET-117, which arrived at KSC today. 

Shuttle Program managers decided this week to inspect the main propulsion systems on Atlantis and Endeavour for contamination after a small amount of material was found during routine post-flight inspections in one engine that flew on the STS-116 mission of Discovery in December 2006 and one engine that flew on the STS-121 mission of Discovery in July 2006. The contaminant is a substance called RepliSet, which is a material used to make a mold of the flow liner surface. It is used to check for cracks and imperfections. The inspections can be accomplished within the timeframe of the hail damage recovery effort, with no impact to the launch schedule for STS-117.

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, work is under way to assess and repair hail damage to the STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124. Special scaffolding and access platforms have been erected to allow access to the tank and orbiter for inspections and repairs. Foam repairs on the liquid hydrogen tank, which is located on the bottom of the external tank, are complete. The focus is currently on repairs to the liquid oxygen tank. 

Shuttle program managers will meet on or about April 10 to decide  whether to use ET-124 or substitute it with a new tank, ET-117, which is scheduled to arrive at KSC in early April. 

In high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, work is under way to repair hail damage to the STS-117 external fuel tank, ET-124.  Special scaffolding and access platforms have been erected to allow  access to the tank and orbiter for inspections and repairs. Foam repairs on the liquid hydrogen tank, which is located on the bottom of the ET, are complete. 

Repairs to the orbiter thermal protection system tiles are complete, and technicians completed non-destructive evaluations of the vehicle's reinforced carbon carbon panels on the left wing leading edge, using thermography equipment. No damage was detected. 

Shuttle Program managers met on Wednesday to assess the damage and  repair status, and decided to continue work on repairing ET-124. Managers will meet again in early April to decide whether to use ET-124 or substitute a new tank, ET-117, which is scheduled to arrive at KSC on April 10. 

Space Shuttle Atlantis, now parked in high bay No. 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, continues to undergo inspection for hail damage. Special scaffolding and access platforms have been erected to allow for the mapping and inspection of the external fuel tank, and repair methods and criteria are being developed. 

Repairs to the orbiter's thermal protection system tiles are nearly complete, and technicians are preparing to conduct non-destructive evaluation of the vehicle's reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the left wing leading edge using thermography equipment. 

Shuttle program managers plan to meet next week to assess the damage and repair status. 

On Sunday, Atlantis rolled from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where employees spent the week positioning platforms around the shuttle to allow for inspections and repairs to hail-damaged areas. Inspections of the external tank are expected to be completed next week. Some foam sanding has begun in the nose cone area of the tank. 

Inspections are finished for the solid rocket boosters and nearly complete for the orbiter, with 20 of 28 hail-damaged areas, all on the left side of the vehicle, already repaired.

Preparations are underway at Launch Pad 39A to roll back the STS-117 Shuttle stack to the Vehicle Assembly building. Roll back is currently targeted for Sunday morning. STS-117 is returning to the VAB so that engineers and technicians can thoroughly inspect the shuttle for hail damage that resulted from a violent storm on Monday evening. 

Once inspections are complete, a decision will be made on the type of repair necessary and the time needed for that work. 

On Thursday, workers at the pad offloaded the fuel and oxidizer from the orbiter maneuvering system tanks. The orbiter's payload bay doors are open, and work is underway to remove the payload from the cargo bay today. Demating of the shuttle from the pad systems will continue through Saturday, with rotation of the pad's rotating service structure scheduled for early Sunday morning. 

Earlier in the week, the Space Shuttle Program managers met for a 2-day STS-117 Flight Readiness Review. During this meeting managers and engineers review risks associated with the mission and determine whether the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. At the conclusion of the FRR, there was a unanimous decision to proceed with the STS-117 mission, pending resolution of the open work to make necessary repairs to the hail damage on the shuttle. 

The STS-117 crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center Wednesday to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a launch dress rehearsal. The rehearsal includes emergency egress training at the launch pad and a practice run of the final launch countdown, during which the crew climbs aboard Atlantis and executes the checklist for the final hours of the simulated countdown. 

Earlier in the week, the STS-117 payload was installed into Atlantis' cargo bay. In addition, technicians continued their preparations for the hypergolic propellant load, scheduled for next week. Shuttle interface testing and validation testing of launch pad systems are also under way.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived at its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 3:09 p.m. EST on top of the giant vehicle known as the crawler transporter. The next milestone for the upcoming mission, STS-117, is a full launch dress rehearsal as the six-member crew prepares to continue building the International Space Station. 

The crawler transporter began carrying Atlantis out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 8:19 a.m. It traveled just under 1 mph during the 3.4 mile journey. 

While at the pad, the shuttle will undergo final testing, payload installation and a "hot fire" test of auxiliary power units. When testing is completed, the rotating service structure will be moved around the vehicle for protection. 

Atlantis' targeted launch date is March 15. During the 11-day mission, the crew will install a new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. The launch marks the first liftoff from Pad 39A in four years. 

The astronauts and ground crews for the mission will participate in a launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, Feb. 21 to 23 at Kennedy. The test provides the crew of each shuttle mission with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. 

On Wednesday, Atlantis rolled from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it was lifted into high bay 1 and mated to the external fuel tank. Orbiter power application is scheduled for Sunday. Close-out operations continue on the fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, with thermal protection system foam trimming under way. 

The STS-117 payload is scheduled to be transferred to Launch Pad 39A on Monday. The shuttle is set to roll out to the pad on Feb. 14.

02.02.07

During the Space Shuttle Program's orbiter rollout milestone review today, managers determined that the vehicle was ready to rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building next week on Feb. 7. In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, final vehicle closeouts are under way and early this week Atlantis was powered down for rollover. 

Final tire pressure checks for flight have been completed, and the landing-gear strut pressurization for flight is complete. The forward compartment is closed out, with the crew hatch closed for rollover. The left and right T-0 umbilical disconnects are complete. Aft structural leak tests were successfully completed, and later today, technicians will perform the final weight and center-of-gravity measurements on the vehicle. The orbiter transporter system will be brought into the bay this weekend. 

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians are completing the final closeout operations on the external tank and solid rocket boosters in preparation for attaching the orbiter on Feb. 7. 

At Pad A, the rotating service structure was successfully rotated from mate to park position, and pad system validations are under way. 

On Wednesday, the Space Shuttle Program signed a change request moving the STS-117 targeted launch date to March 15, one day earlier than originally planned. Final vehicle closeouts are under way in preparation for technicians to move Atlantis to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 7. 

Technicians completed the flight deck closeout and are working to finish closing out the forward area. The final vehicle power down and main landing gear functional test are scheduled for Jan. 29. Aft structural leak test preparations began today, and the test will begin early next week. On Jan. 31, technicians will perform the final weight and center-of-gravity measurements on the vehicle, and the orbiter transporter system will be brought into the bay on Feb. 1. 

Last week, the external tank scheduled to fly with Atlantis, designated ET-124, was moved from the checkout cell in the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated to the solid rocket boosters in high bay 1. Technicians are completing the final foam application and strut closeouts in preparation for attaching the orbiter on Feb. 7. 

At Pad A, technicians performed a payload canister fit check. The canister will be used to transport the payload for the mission, the S3/S4 solar arrays, scheduled to go to the pad on Feb. 18.  

Final vehicle closeouts are under way in preparation for technicians to move Atlantis to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 7. This week, technicians worked to close out the forward reaction control system, the midbody and aft areas. The payload bay doors were cycled and closed for flight. The payload bay door strongbacks were removed Thursday. Final orbiter power down is scheduled for Jan. 25.

Today, the external tank scheduled to fly with Atlantis, designated ET-124, was moved from the checkout cell in the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated to the solid rocket boosters in high bay 1.  Space Shuttle Program managers held a review on Tuesday and gave the "go ahead" to mate the tank with the boosters.

Final vehicle closeouts are under way in preparation for technicians to move Atlantis to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 7. This week, the payload bay was cleaned and the doors were closed. The doors will be cycled one  last time and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight next week.

The external tank scheduled to fly with Atlantis, designated ET-124, is in the checkout cell in the Vehicle Assembly Building for final processing prior to being mated to the solid rocket boosters in high bay 1. Space Shuttle Program managers will hold a review on Jan. 16 to determine the readiness to mate the tank with the boosters. Once the review is complete and the "go ahead" has been given, the tank will be attached on Jan. 19.

Technicians powered down orbiter Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 prior to the holidays. Over the holiday period, thermal protection system waterproofing was completed. Final system testing and processing continues in preparation for the vehicle's roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building, scheduled for Feb. 7.

The external tank scheduled to fly with Atlantis, designated ET-124, arrived at Kennedy Space Center from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans prior to the holidays. On Dec. 28, the barge brought the tank to the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area, and the tank was offloaded into the Vehicle Assembly Building. The next day, the tank was lifted into the checkout cell for final processing prior to being mated to the solid rocket boosters in high bay 1, scheduled for Jan. 19.

Technicians continue performing post-landing inspections on orbiter Atlantis and are beginning to prepare the vehicle for its next flight, STS-117. The orbiter boom sensor system was installed in the payload bay on Thursday. A single-cell voltage test of the fuel cells is set to be completed today.

During inspections, a 0.1-inch diameter impact was noted on Atlantis' right-hand payload bay door radiator. The cause of the damage has been preliminarily identified as micrometeoroid orbital debris, which passed through the radiator's outer sheet, interior honeycomb structure and inner sheet. The debris did not impact the payload bay door itself. The repair is scheduled to begin today.

Technicians continue performing post-landing inspections on orbiter Atlantis and are nearly finished with the review of the thermal protection system. The orbiter boom sensor system is scheduled to be removed from the payload bay on Saturday.

During inspections, a 0.1-inch diameter impact was noted on Atlantis' right-hand payload bay door radiator. The cause of the damage has been preliminarily identified as micrometeoroid orbital debris, which passed through the radiator's face (outer) sheet, interior honeycomb structure and inner sheet. The debris did not impact the payload bay door itself. Technicians removed the damaged area and will begin the repair next week.

Technicians continue performing post-landing inspections on orbiter Atlantis and are about 85 percent complete with the review of the thermal protection system. During inspections, a 0.1-inch diameter impact was noted on Atlantis' right-hand payload bay door radiator. The damage has been preliminarily identified as caused by micrometeoroid orbital debris (MMOD), which passed through the radiator's face (outer) sheet, interior honeycomb structure and inner sheet. The MMOD did not impact the payload bay door itself. Ground operations personnel at Kennedy Space Center will repair the damage as soon as a plan is developed and approved, while ensuring the site is protected for analysis by orbital debris experts at Johnson Space Center.

This week, technicians performed the forward reaction control system functional test and checkout, with a similar test scheduled for the orbiter maneuvering system this weekend. On Oct. 1, technicians removed the three space shuttle main engines from the aft of the vehicle. Wing leading edge thermography on the reinforced carbon-carbon panels is complete and the chin panel, located under the nose cap, has been removed.

Following the landing of Atlantis on Sept. 21, technicians towed vehicle into the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin preparing it for its next mission to the International Space Station. Thermal protection system post-flight inspection is 27 percent complete. Flight crew equipment removal was completed Monday.

Technicians installed payload bay door strongbacks on Monday in preparation for the doors to open. On Wednesday, the doors were opened and the Ku-band antenna was deployed. Nose cap and chin panel thermography has begun and preparations are under way to begin thermography on the wing leading edges.