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Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-3749)

Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

June 17, 2005

STATUS REPORT: S05-024

NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Status Report: S05-024

NASA's Shuttle fleet is housed and processed at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla.

Discovery (OV-103)

Mission: STS-114 - 17th ISS Flight (LF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Location: Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window July 13 - 31, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Collins, Kelly, Noguchi, Robinson, Thomas, Lawrence and Camarda
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Discovery was rolled out Wednesday to Launch Pad 39B on a Crawler Transporter. The four-mile journey began at 1:58 a.m. EDT and ended at 12:17 p.m.

The payload canister, including NASA's Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, was transferred to the launch pad on June 13. Payload installation began today. Payload connections are scheduled this weekend. Payload/orbiter interface testing begins early next week.

Loading hypergolic propellants is scheduled for June 22. This process includes loading the propellants, monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, into the Orbiter Maneuvering System and the Forward Reaction Control System.

Atlantis (OV-104)

Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: Lighted Launch Planning Window September 9 - 24, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak and Wilson
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Power-up system testing is nearly complete for Atlantis' mission to the Space Station. The payload bay was cleaned for flight and the doors closed. Around the hinge line of the doors, technicians installed the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (heat shield tiles). The doors were opened to perform tile checks and closed for the final time prior to flight.

Technicians continue performing nose and main landing gear cycles to check compression of new thermal barrier seals. The landing gear functional test is scheduled for the middle of next week.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the External Tank (ET-120) and Solid Rocket Boosters originally scheduled to fly with Shuttle Discovery are in high bay 1. This stack will fly with Atlantis for STS-121. The liquid oxygen feedline bellows heater has been added to this tank and final foam closeouts are progressing.

Endeavour (OV-105): In Orbiter Major Modification period (begun in December 2003).

External Tank/Solid Rocket Booster

The third redesigned External Tank (ET-119) arrived today at KSC. It will be offloaded Monday and transferred to the VAB. ET-119 is scheduled to fly with Atlantis on mission STS-115.