Jan. 27, 2006<br /><br />Katherine Trinidad <br />Headquarters, Washington <br />(202) 358-3749<br /><br />Jessica Rye<br />Kennedy Space Center, Fla.<br />(321) 867-2468 <br /><br />STATUS REPORT: S06-003<br /><br />NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT: S06-003<br /><br />NASA's space shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space <br />Center, Fla. <br /><br />Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics <br />Module <br />Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)<br />Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 <br />Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006 <br />Launch Pad: 39B<br />Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter <br />Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles <br /><br />Technicians worked on inspections and closeouts prior to next week's <br />installation of the forward reaction control system. Installation of <br />the dome-mounted heat shields that surround the shuttle's three <br />engines will begin when main engine leak checks are complete. <br /><br />Removal and replacement of gap fillers is complete in the forward and <br />mid-body sections of the vehicle. Work starts next week on gap <br />fillers in other areas on the orbiter's belly. Technicians are using <br />new installation procedures to ensure the gap fillers stay in place <br />during re-entry to the atmosphere. <br /><br />Solid rocket booster stacking for STS-121 is under way. The left and <br />right aft boosters were delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building <br />this week and placed on the Mobile Launch Platform in High Bay 3. The <br />aft segments were bolted to the platform, and work begun to stack the <br />left and right aft center segments. <br /><br />Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Solar Arrays <br />Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104) <br />Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 <br />Launch Date: TBD <br /><br />Launch Pad: 39B<br />Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper <br />Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles <br /><br />Power down operations continue. Cold plate removal and replacement in <br />the shuttle's aft area were completed. Cold plates keep electronics <br />boxes cool. The mechanical release latches for the shuttle arm <br />(remote manipulator system) are installed, and pre-load tests are <br />under way. <br /><br />Removal and replacement of gap fillers began this week in the priority <br />one forward and mid-body areas. One of two reaction jet drivers <br />located in the shuttle aft area was installed. These drivers power <br />the reaction control thrusters of the orbiter maneuvering system pods <br />while in orbit. Technicians removed mid power control assembly #2 and <br />#3 for inspection. These units are part of the system that controls <br />power distribution in the orbiter. <br /><br />Endeavour (OV-105) <br /><br />In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, technicians leveled the shuttle <br />in preparation for Heads Up Display alignment. The display is used to <br />optically align the orbiter for landing. Preparations for power up <br />continue. All wiring tests and connector mates are complete. <br />Technicians are finishing the installation of body flap hardware. <br /><br />Work continues on the manipulator positioning mechanism for the <br />shuttle's robotic arm before installation. The pedestal mechanisms <br />keep the arm secured in the payload bay when it's not in use. <br /><br />External Tanks <br /><br />NASA has adjusted its contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems to <br />produce 18 instead of 35 shuttle external fuel tanks. The reduction <br />aligns the contract with planned missions through 2010. <br /><br />For previous space shuttle processing status reports on the Web, <br />visit: <br /><br />/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html" <br />class="featureLnk">http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle<br /><br /><br />For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: <br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/home