KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE
SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2000 (7:00 PM EST)

MISSION: STS-99 — Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
  • VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
  • LOCATION: Pad 39A
  • TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 31, 2000 at 12:47 p.m. EST
  • TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Feb. 11, 2000 at 4:55 p.m. EST
  • LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours and 2 minutes
  • MISSION DURATION: 11 days and 4 hours
  • CREW: Kregel, Gorie, Kavandi, Voss, Mohri, Thiele
  • ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 126 nautical miles/57 degrees

Work in progress: The launch countdown for STS-99 is under way and preparations for
launch of Shuttle Endeavour on Jan. 31 continue. Mission managers convened a standard
prelaunch review today at KSC and announced that all Shuttle program elements are ready to
support launch operations on Monday, pending completion of an ongoing main engine fuel
pump seal evaluation. Shuttle managers will assemble again tomorrow at 2 p.m. to discuss
that final issue.

A defective nickel seal was flown on a main engine fuel pump on Shuttle Discoveryís last flight,
mission STS-103. Though Discoveryís engine performance was not affected, post-flight
inspections at KSC detected a debonding of the nickel seal from its alloy backing. The seal is
located between the turbine blade and pump housing. The fuel pump and seal were
disassembled and underwent indepth analysis at the Boeing Rocketdyne manufacturing plant
in Canoga Park, CA.

Shuttle weather forecasters indicate a 70 percent chance of favorable weather on Monday.
The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, broken at 10,000 feet, and broken at
25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds from the northwest at 12 peaking to 18 knots;
temperature at 63 degrees F; relative humidity at 55 percent; dewpoint at 44 degrees F; and
no threat of precipitation. The primary concern is the possibility of thick clouds that could
violate launch criteria for triggered lightning.

Processing Milestones:
Power reactant storage and distribution system loaded (Jan. 29)
Rotating Service Structure retracted (Jan. 30 at about 6:30 p.m.)
External tank loading (Jan. 31, 4 – 7 a.m.)

SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-99
T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS
T-27 hours 4 hours 9:30 a.m. Sat. 1:30 p.m. Sat.
T-19 hours 4 hours 9:30 p.m. Sat. 1:30 a.m. Sun.
T-11 hours 12 hours, 57 minutes 9:30 a.m. Sun. 10:27 p.m. Sun.
T-6 hours 1 hour 3:27 a.m. Mon. 4:27 a.m. Mon.
T-3 hours 2 hours 7:27 a.m. Mon. 9:27 a.m. Mon.
T-20 minutes 10 minutes 12:07 p.m. Mon. 12:17 p.m. Mon.
T-9 minutes 10 minutes 12:28 p.m. Mon. 12:38 p.m. Mon.

CREW FOR MISSION STS-99
POSITION NAME
Commander (CDR) Kevin Kregel
Pilot (PLT) Dom Gorie
Mission Specialist (MS1) Gerhard Thiele
Mission Specialist (MS2) Janet Kavandi
Mission Specialist (MS3) Janice Voss
Mission Specialist (MS4) Mamoru Mohri

SUMMARY OF STS-99 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
Monday, Jan. 31
12:30 a.m. Wake up Blue Team (PLT, MS3 and MS4)
1:00 a.m. Blue Team breakfast
7:30 a.m. Wake up Red Team (CDR, MS1 and MS2)
8:22 a.m.* Blue Team lunch/Red Team breakfast and photo
8:52 a.m. Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2)
8:52 a.m.* Don launch and entry suits (MS1, MS3 & MS4)
9:02 a.m.* Don launch and entry suits (CDR, PLT, MS2)
9:32 a.m.* Depart for Launch Pad 39A
10:02 a.m.* Arrive at white room and begin ingress
11:17 a.m.* Close crew hatch
12:47 p.m.* Launch





*Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern

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