08.24.06
Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
RELEASE: 51-06 (revised)
LAUNCH COUNTDOWN BEGAN AUG. 24 FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS
NASA began the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on
mission STS-115 at noon EDT Thursday, Aug. 24, at the T-43 hour
point. During this mission, Atlantis’ crew will resume the
construction of the International Space Station, which is the goal of
the remaining space shuttle flights in the program.
The Kennedy Space Center launch team will conduct the countdown from
the newly renovated Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center. The
countdown includes 33 hours, 24 minutes of built-in hold time leading
to a preferred launch time at about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27,
with a launch window extending about five minutes.
This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for
orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space
Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned KSC
landing at about 12:02 p.m. EDT on Sept. 7.
Atlantis rolled into KSC’s Orbiter Processing Facility on Oct. 18,
2002, after returning from its last mission, STS-112. Its next
mission was planned to be STS-114; however, during the program delays
following the loss of orbiter Columbia, Atlantis was reassigned to
mission STS-115. The orbiter rolled out of the facility’s bay 1 and
into the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 24. While in the
building’s high bay 3, Atlantis was mated to its modified external
tank and solid rocket boosters. The entire space shuttle stack was
transferred to Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 2.
The STS-115 crew includes Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson,
and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heidemarie
Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean of the Canadian Space Agency.
During mission STS-115, Atlantis will dock with the station and the
crew will perform three spacewalks. The astronauts will deliver and
install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment to the
station’s girder-like truss backbone. The new piece will include a
second set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated
electronics. Together, the trusses and solar arrays will provide
one-fourth of the total power-generation capability of the completed
station.
To prepare for the extravehicular activities, the spacewalkers will
perform a new “campout pre-breathing exercise.” These crew members
will reside in the station’s airlock overnight, where the pressure
will slowly be reduced. Harmful gases will thereby be removed from
their blood, allowing them to gradually acclimate to the lower
pressure they will encounter outside the station. Provisions are
onboard to support as many as three additional spacewalks, if
required to complete mission objectives.
For information about the STS-115 crew and the mission to the
International Space Station, visit:
(end of general release)
COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
*all times are Eastern
Launch-3 Days (Thursday, Aug. 24)
Prepare for the start of the STS-115 launch countdown
Perform the call to stations (11:30 a.m.)
Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (noon)
Begin final vehicle and facility closeouts for launch
Check out backup flight systems
Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems
Load backup flight system software into Atlantis’ general purpose
computers
Remove flight-deck platforms (8:30 p.m.)
Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution
system (11 p.m.)
Launch-2 Days (Friday, Aug. 25)
Activate and test navigational systems (1 a.m.)
Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (4 a.m.)
Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 4 hours (4
a.m.)
Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
Perform test of the vehicle’s pyrotechnic initiator controllers
Resume countdown (8 a.m.)
Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Atlantis’ fuel cell
storage tanks (8 a.m.)
Enter 10-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (4 p.m.)
Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (4:30 p.m.)
Resume orbiter and ground support equipment closeouts
Launch-1 Day (Saturday, Aug. 26)
Resume countdown (2 a.m.)
Final preparations of the shuttle’s three main engines for main
propellant tanking (2 a.m.)
Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (4 a.m.)
Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (7 a.m.)
Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform
Begin star tracker functional checks (9:50 a.m.)
Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 34 minutes (10 a.m.)
Activate orbiter’s inertial measurement units
Activate the orbiter’s communications systems
Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (10:55 a.m.)
Flight crew equipment late stow (3:10 p.m.)
Move Rotating Service Structure to the park position (7 p.m.)
Perform ascent switch list
Fuel cell flow-through purge complete
Resume countdown at T-11 hours (11:34 p.m.)
Launch Day (Sunday, Aug. 27)
Activate the orbiter’s fuel cells (12:45 a.m.)
Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
Switch Atlantis’ purge air to gaseous nitrogen (1:20 a.m.)
Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (4:34 a.m.)
Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to
cryogenic loading of the external tank
Clear pad of all personnel
Resume countdown (6:34 a.m.)
Chilldown of propellant transfer lines (6:34 a.m.)
Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of
cryogenic propellants (about 6:44 a.m.)
Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 9:34 a.m.)
Final Inspection Team proceeds to launch pad
Enter planned 3-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (9:34 a.m.)
Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
Align Merritt Island Launch Area tracking antennas
Perform open loop test with Eastern Range
Resume countdown at T-3 hours (12:34 p.m.)
Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (12:40 p.m.)
Complete closeout preparations in the White Room
Check cockpit switch configurations
Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 1:10 p.m.)
Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and Mission
Control
Begin to close Atlantis’ crew hatch (about 2 p.m.)
Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks
Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks
Complete White Room closeout
Closeout crew moves to fallback area
Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight
system
Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (3:14 p.m.)
NASA test director conducts final launch team briefings
Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments
Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (3:24 p.m.)
Transition the orbiter’s onboard computers to launch configuration
Start fuel cell thermal conditioning
Close orbiter cabin vent valves
Transition backup flight system to launch configuration
Enter estimated 40-minute hold at T-9 minutes (3:35 p.m.)
Launch director, Mission Management Team and NASA test director
conduct final polls for “go/no go” to launch
Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 4:21 p.m.)
Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9 minutes)
Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)
Start mission recorders (T-6:15)
Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5)
Arm solid rocket booster and external tank range safety safe and arm
devices (T-5)
Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55)
Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55)
Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30)
Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55)
Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55)
Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35)
Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)
Deactivate bi-pod heaters (T-1:52)
Deactivate solid rocket booster joint heaters (T-1)
Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds)
Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds)
Booster gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)
Ignition of three space shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds)
Booster ignition and liftoff (T-0)
CREW FOR MISSION STS-115
Commander: Brent Jett
Pilot: Chris Ferguson
Payload Commander (MS1): Joe Tanner
Mission Specialist (MS2): Dan Burbank
Mission Specialist (MS3): Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
Mission Specialist (MS4): Steve MacLean
SUMMARY OF STS-115 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
Sunday, Aug. 27
6:30 a.m. – Crew wakes up
7 a.m. – Breakfast
*10:55 a.m. – Television coverage from crew quarters
Noon – Weather briefing
*12:10 p.m. – Don flight suits
*12:40 p.m. – Depart for launch pad
*1:10 p.m. – Arrive at White Room and begin ingress
*2:25 p.m.-- Close crew hatch
*4:30 p.m. – Launch
- Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern
-end-
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