Melissa Mathews Headquarters, Washington August 26, 2005 (Phone: 202/358-1272)

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

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT: S05-027

 NASA's Space Shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space Center, Fla

Discovery (OV-103)

Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1) Payload: Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 Launch Date: NET March 2006 Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51 6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Following Discovery's return to Kennedy Sunday, the vehicle was rolled into Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 to begin processing for the second Space Shuttle Return to Flight test mission (STS-121)

The orbiter was placed on its jacks, and work stands were installed around the vehicle Obiter window inspections are complete and protective covers installed The payload bay doors were opened on Wednesday

Atlantis (OV-104)

Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) Payload: P3/P4 Solar Arrays Location: Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Launch Date: TBD Launch Pad: 39B Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean, Stefanyshyn-Piper Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51 6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Atlantis is in the VAB attached to its External Tank (ET-120) and Solid Rocket Boosters Preparations are under way to demate Atlantis from its ET Atlantis will be lowered next week into the transfer aisle and rolled back to Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 in early September ET-120, the first redesigned tank to arrive at KSC, will be sent back to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans for further testing

In the VAB, the Solid Rocket Boosters will be destacked and sent back to ATK Thiokol in Utah for refurbishment In December, the booster segments will reach the end of the time allowable for segments to be stacked prior to launch A new booster stack will be built for Atlantis' launch

Endeavour (OV-105)

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

External Tank

External Tank 119, the third redesigned tank to arrive at Kennedy, was moved from the checkout cell in the VAB It was loaded onto Pegasus, NASA's specially designed barge, on Tuesday for transport to Michoud The tank is being returned for evaluation, inspection and redesign prior to STS-121

For previous Space Shuttle processing status reports on the Internet, visit

http://www nasa gov/returntoflight

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:

http://www nasa gov/home/index html