NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT: S06-005

Friday, February 10 2006 @ 03:52 PM EST

Edited by: Kandy Ringer

NASA News

Briefs and Releases

BBSNews 2006

Compiled by Kandy Ringer

NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Report (S06-005)

NASA via BBSNews - 2006-02-10 -- Thermal protection system blanket installation continues on the orbiter boom sensor system. The sensor package was installed Tuesday on the boom.

Discovery is towed into the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3.
Discovery is towed into the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3.

Image Credit: NASA/KSC

For the image shown above in a larger size, see Discovery Bay 3.

More NASA images are available in BBSNews NASA Photos.

NASA's space shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

  • Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
  • Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
  • Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
  • Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006
  • Launch Pad: 39B
  • Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
  • Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Engineers are analyzing information and hardware following failed leak checks of shuttle main engines number 2 and 3. The two are in the main engine processing facility for evaluations. The engines will be reinstalled in the vehicle when analysis is completed; tentatively set for early next week.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, solid rocket booster stacking continues today; the left aft center segment is being lifted onto the stack on the mobile launcher platform. Right booster stacking is scheduled for mid-February completion; left booster by the end of the month.

Endeavour (OV-105)

In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, standard mission processing continues and return-to-flight modifications. Heads-up display alignment is scheduled for the commander's seat this weekend and pilot's seat next week. The display is an optical mini-processor that cues the commander and/or pilot during the final phase of atmosphere re-entry and during the final approach to the runway.

  • Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Solar Arrays
  • Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104) Location: Orbiter Processing Facility
  • Bay 1 Launch Date: To be determined Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Jett,
  • Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
  • Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Atlantis is in a power-down period. More than 400 gap fillers have been removed and replaced on the shuttle underside. When gap filler work is completed on Discovery, the entire team will move to Atlantis to continue the work at approximately 350 fillers weekly. New installation procedures were developed to ensure the gap fillers stay in place and do not pose any hazard on atmosphere re-entry.

For previous space shuttle processing status reports on the Web, visit: NASA Shuttle.

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: NASA Home.

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