April 15, 2005

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington 
(Phone: 202/358-4769) 

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

STATUS REPORT: S05-015

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT: S05-015

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

Discovery (OV-103)

Mission: STS-114 - 17th ISS Flight (LF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics 
Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Launch Pad 39B
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window: May 15 - June 3, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Collins, Kelly, Noguchi, Robinson, Thomas, Lawrence and Camarda
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Following the Space Shuttle Program's Design Certification Review 
(DCR), senior management identified May 22 as the target launch date 
for STS-114. This will allow additional time to complete the required 
engineering analysis, validation and verification testing of the 
Shuttle for a safe Return to Flight. 

Work continues at Launch Pad 39B for Discovery's launch to the 
International Space Station (ISS). The payload bay doors were opened 
Tuesday. The Remote Manipulator System (Shuttle arm) and the Orbiter 
Boom Sensor System clearance checks were completed. Flight readiness 
tests have been successfully performed on all three Shuttle Main 
Engines. 

This weekend, technicians will finalize work to prepare for loading 
the hypergolic propellants for flight. This process includes loading 
the propellants, monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, into 
the Orbiter Maneuvering System and the Forward Reaction Control 
System. On April 28, the Rotating Service Structure will be rotated 
away from the vehicle in preparation for hot-fire tests of the 
Auxiliary Power Units on Discovery and the right-hand Solid Rocket 
Booster Hydraulic Power Unit. 

Two of the mission payloads were installed into the Payload 
Transportation Canister in preparation for their move to Launch Pad 
39B. The External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2) was installed on Tuesday 
and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure 
Carrier (LMC) on Wednesday. The ESP-2 will carry replacement parts to 
the Station. It will be deployed and attached to the Station's 
airlock as a permanent spare-parts facility. The LMC will carry a 
replacement Control Moment Gyroscope and a tile-repair sample test 
kit. The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is scheduled for 
installation into its payload canister on Monday. It will be 
transferred to the pad next week. 

Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics 
Module
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window: July 12-31, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak and Wilson
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Technicians continue processing Atlantis in Orbiter Processing 
Facility bay 1 for its mission to the ISS. On Thursday, the STS-121 
crew arrived at KSC for the Crew Equipment Interface Test. The test 
provides the crew an opportunity for a hands-on look at the orbiter 
and equipment they will be working with during the mission. 

Orbiter system testing is nearly 60 percent complete. Technicians 
finished installing the engines' dome-mounted heat shields, the two 
semicircular sections of Thermal Protection System tile that fit 
around the engine interfaces. The interface verification test 
continues on the right-hand Orbiter Maneuvering System pod. Following 
the installation of the new landing-gear door thermal-barrier seal, 
the nose landing gear was retracted for seal compression checks. 

Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) stacking for Atlantis' launch continues in 
the VAB high bay 3. The External Tank remains in the checkout cell 
for final testing. Following the completion of SRB stacking, the tank 
will be moved and attached to the SRBs on May 6. 

Endeavour (OV-105)

Endeavour is in its Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in 
December 2003.

Previous Space Shuttle processing status reports are available on the 
Internet at: 

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight 

	
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