NASA News <br />National Aeronautics and<br />Space Administration<br /><br /><br />John F. Kennedy Space Center<br />Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899<br />AC 321-867-2468<br />____________________________________________________________________________<br />_______________________________<br />For Release: Jan. 15, 2003 <br /><br /><br />KSC Contact: Bruce Buckingham <br />(321) 867-2468 <br /> <br />KSC Release No. 09 - 03<br /><br /><br />SHUTTLE MISSION STS-107 LAUNCH TIME ANNOUNCED FOR LAUNCH ON JAN. 16<br /><br /><br />Managers today confirmed the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia for Thursday,<br />Jan. 16 at 10:39 a.m. EST. The launch window extends for 2 hours and 30<br />minutes. This announcement comes following a final review of Shuttle<br />processing activities and a satisfactory engineering analysis of the Ball<br />Strut Tie Rod Assembly (BSTRA).<br /><br /><br />STS-107 is a scheduled 16-day mission with a planned KSC landing at about<br />8:53 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 1.<br /><br /><br />This mission is the first Shuttle mission of 2003. Mission STS-107 is the<br />28th flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 113th flight overall in NASA's<br />Space Shuttle program. <br /><br /><br />Mission STS-107 is an international mission devoted to space research, the<br />first dedicated research mission to be flown by the Shuttle in almost three<br />years. Columbia will carry in its payload bay the SPACEHAB Research Double<br />Module, a pressurized environment accessible to the crew. The module and the<br />Shuttle's middeck will hold most of the mission's more than 80 experiments -<br />involving more than 70 scientists worldwide - that will investigate space,<br />life and physical sciences.<br /><br /><br />The STS-107 crew includes Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool,<br />Mission Specialists David Brown, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla and Michael<br />Anderson, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon with the Israel Space Agency. <br /><br /><br />(end of general release)<br /><br /><br />REMAINING COUNTDOWN MILESTONES<br />*all times are Eastern<br /><br /><br />Launch-1 Day (Wednesday, Jan. 15)<br />(As of 11 a.m. EST, the countdown clock is in a scheduled built-in hold at<br />the T-11 hour mark) <br /><br /><br /> * Flight crew equipment late stow<br /> * Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position<br />(about 4 p.m.)<br /> * Perform ascent switch list<br /> * Fuel cell flow-through purge complete<br /><br /><br />Resume countdown at T-11 hours (8:19 p.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Activate the orbiter's fuel cells (9:34 p.m.)<br /> * Clear the blast danger area of all nonessential personnel<br /> * Switch Columbia's purge air to gaseous nitrogen (10:19 p.m.)<br /><br /><br />Launch Day (Thursday, Jan. 16)<br /><br /><br />Enter planned 1-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (1:19 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria<br />prior to cryogenic loading of the external tank <br /> * Clear pad of all personnel<br /> * Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons<br />of cryogenic propellants (as early as 1:49 a.m.)<br /><br /><br />Resume countdown at T-6 hours (2:19 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of<br />liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 4:49 a.m.)<br /> * Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad<br /><br /><br />Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (5:19 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration<br /> * Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas<br /> * Perform open loop test with Eastern Range<br /><br /><br />Resume countdown at T-3 hours (7:19 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Complete close-out preparations in the white room<br /> * Check cockpit switch configurations <br /> * Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks<br /> * Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup<br />flight system<br /> * Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments<br /> <br />Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (9:59 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings<br /> * Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch<br />configuration <br /> * Start fuel cell thermal conditioning<br /> * Close orbiter cabin vent valves<br /> * Transition backup flight system to launch configuration<br /><br /><br />Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (10:09 a.m.)<br /><br /><br />Enter estimated 10-minute hold at T-9 minutes (10:20 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Launch Director, Mission Management Team and NASA Test<br />Director conduct final polls for go/no go to launch<br /><br /><br />Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 10:30 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> * Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)<br /> * Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)<br /> * Start mission recorders (T-6:15)<br /> * Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00)<br /> * Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00)<br /> * Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55)<br /> * Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55)<br /> * Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30)<br /> * Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55)<br /> * Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55)<br /> * Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35)<br /> * Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)<br /> * Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00)<br /> * Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50<br />seconds)<br /> * Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31<br />seconds)<br /> * SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)<br /> * Ignition of three Space Shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds)<br /> * SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0) <br /><br /><br />-- end--