NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis
on mission STS-104 July 9 at 8 a.m. EDT at the T-43 hour mark. This mission
marks the 10th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the 4th
Shuttle mission this year. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown
from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.
The countdown includes 26 hours and 3 minutes of built-in hold time
leading to a preferred launch time at about 5:04 a.m. on July 12 with a
launch window of less than 5 minutes. The exact location of the orbiting
International Space Station (ISS) will be determined during the T-9 minute
built-in hold. The launch director will at that time determine the exact
time of launch.
Mission STS-104 is the 24th flight of the orbiter Atlantis and the 105th
flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle program. STS-104 is scheduled to last
10 days, 19 hours and 53 minutes with a planned KSC landing at about 12:57
a.m. on July 23.
Atlantis rolled into KSC’s Orbiter Processing Facility on March 6,
2001, after completing mission STS-98. The orbiter rolled out of OPF bay 3
and into the VAB on May 29. While in VAB high bay 1, Atlantis was mated to
the external tank and solid rocket boosters. The entire Space Shuttle stack
was transferred to Launch Pad 39B on June 21.
On mission STS-104, the five-member crew will deliver the Joint
Airlock Module to the Station to be installed during two planned spacewalks.
STS-104 has crew that comprises Commander Steven Lindsey, Pilot
Charles Hobaugh, and Mission Specialists Janet Lynn Kavandi, Michael
Gernhardt and James Reilly.
COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
*all times are Eastern
Launch-3 Days (Monday, July 9)
* Prepare for the start of the STS-104 launch countdown
* Perform the call-to-stations (7:30 a.m.)
* Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (8 a.m.)
* Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch
* Check out back-up flight systems
* Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display
systems
* Load backup flight system software into Atlantis’ general purpose
computers
* Remove mid-deck and flight-deck platforms (4 p.m.)
* Activate and test navigational systems (9 p.m.)
* Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution
system (11 p.m.)
* Launch-2 Days (Tuesday, July 10)
* Complete flight deck preliminary inspections (12:01 a.m.)
* Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 4 hours
(12:01 a.m.)
* Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
* Perform test of the vehicle’s pyrotechnic initiator controllers
* Resume countdown (4 a.m.)
* Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Atlantis’ fuel
cell storage tanks
* (5:30 – 10:30 a.m.)
* Enter 4-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (12 noon)
* Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (12:30 p.m.)
* Resume countdown (4 p.m.)
* Final preparations of Shuttle’s main engines for propellant tanking
and flight
* Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (5:30 p.m.)
* Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs
* Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (10:30
p.m.)
* Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform
* Launch-1 Day (Wednesday, July 11)
* Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 08 minutes (12:01
a.m.)
* Begin star tracker functional checks (1 a.m.)
* Activate orbiter’s inertial measurement units
* Activate the orbiter’s communications systems
* Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (3 a.m.)
* Stow flight crew equipment (5:20 a.m.)
* Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (9 a.m.)
* Perform ascent switch list
* Complete fuel cell flow-through purge
* Resume countdown at T-11 hours (1:08 p.m.)
* Activate the orbiter’s fuel cells (2:18 p.m.)
* Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
* Switch Atlantis’ purge air to gaseous nitrogen (3:23 p.m.)
* Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (6:08 p.m.)
* Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior
to cryogenic loading of the external tank
* Clear pad of all personnel
* Chilldown of propellant transfer lines
* Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of
cryogenic propellants (as early as 7:38 p.m.)
* Resume countdown (8:08 p.m.)
* Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (as early as 10:38 p.m.)
* Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad
* Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (11:08 p.m.)
* Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
* Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
* Launch Day (Thursday, July 12)
* Perform open loop test with Eastern Range
* Resume countdown at T-3 hours (1:08 a.m.)
* Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (1:13
a.m.)
* Complete close-out preparations in the white room
* Check cockpit switch configurations
* Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 1:43 a.m.)
* Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and
Mission Control
* Close Atlantis’ crew hatch (about 2:58 a.m.)
* Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks
* Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks
* Complete white room close-out
* Close-out 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 (3:48 a.m.)
* NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
* Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments
* Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (3:58 a.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 45-minute hold at T-9 minutes (4:09 a.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 4:54 a.m.)
* Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)
* Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)
* Start mission recorders (T-6:15)
* Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00)
* Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00)
* 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 go to internal reactants (T-2:35)
* Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)
* Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00)
* Transfer orbiter power from ground to internal (T-0:50 seconds)
* Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds)
* SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)
* Ignition of three Space Shuttle main engines (T-0:06.6 seconds)
* SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0)
SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-104
T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS T-27 hours 4 hours 12 a.m. Tues. 4 a.m. Tues. T-19 hours 4 hours 12 noon Tues. 4 p.m. Tues. T-11 hours 13 hours, 8 minutes 12 a.m. Wed. 1:08 p.m. Wed. T-6 hours 2 hours 6:08 p.m. Wed. 8:08 p.m. Wed. T-3 hours 2 hours 11:08 p.m. Wed. 1:08 a.m. Thurs. T-20 minutes 10 minutes 3:48 a.m. Thurs. 3:58 a.m. Thurs. T-9 minutes about 45 minutes 4:09 a.m. Thurs. 4:54 a.m. Thurs.
CREW FOR MISSION STS-104
Commander (CDR): Steven Lindsey
Pilot (PLT): Charles Hobaugh
Mission Specialist (MS1): Janet Kavandi
Mission Specialist (MS2): Michael Gernhardt
Mission Specialist (MS3): James Reilly
SUMMARY OF STS-104 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
Wed., July 11
5 p.m. Crew wake up
5:45 p.m. Breakfast
6:30 p.m. Medical checks
10 p.m. Photo and Lunch (to be recorded and televised later)
Thurs., July 12
12:33 a.m. Weather Briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
12:33 a.m. Don flight suits (MS1 and MS3)
*12:43 a.m. Don flight suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
*1:13 a.m. Depart for launch pad
*1:43 a.m. Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*2:58 a.m. Close crew hatch
*5:04 a.m. Launch
* Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern
