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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1996 (11:18 AM EDT) KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692) E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov MISSION: STS-77 -- SPACEHAB-4 & SPARTAN 207 VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Pad 39B TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 16 at 6:32 a.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 26 at 7:09 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 10 days CREW SIZE: 6 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 176 statute miles/39 degrees NOTE: The Space Shuttle Endeavour began its roll from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B yesterday at about 10 a.m., arriving at the pad at about 3:30 p.m. Payload transfer from the pad’s payload change-out room to the orbiter’s payload bay is underway today. Also, launch pad validations are currently in work. The Space Shuttle main engine flight readiness test will pick-up tomorrow following removal and replacement of two pressure transducers on engine no. 2. KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Space Shuttle main engine flight readiness test (Thursday/Friday) * Helium signature test (April 22) * Crew arrival for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (10:30 a.m. April 22) * Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (April 23-24) MISSION: STS-78 -- LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SPACELAB (LMS) VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 20 at about 10:49 a.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 6 at about 8:46 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 22 hours CREW SIZE: 7 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 statute miles/39 degrees NOTE: Installation of the Space Shuttle main engines continues today. Engines no. 1 and 3 were installed yesterday and engine no. 2 will be installed today. Payload premate testing also continues today. The Life and Microgravity Spacelab will be installed into the orbiter’s payload bay as scheduled next week. KEY STS-78 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Install Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) into transport canister (April 22) * LMS payload installation into orbiter (April 23) MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 TARGET LAUNCH DATE: July 31 at about 11:42 p.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes TARGET KSC LANDING DATE: August 9 at about 8:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 8 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes CREW SIZE: 6 ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees NOTE: The payload bay doors are open and preparations to remove the Spacehab payload tomorrow are on schedule. The ferry flight main engine tailcone will be removed today as post-flight inspections continue. Engineers believe they have located the source of the hydraulic leak that occurred in Atlantis’ aft engine compartment during launch. The leak appears to have come from a B-nut fitting near the filter on a pressurized flex hose assembly. The hose is attached to the hydraulic pump on auxiliary power unit no. 3. The assembly will be removed and further inspections made later this week. At this time, engineers do not believe the hydraulic pump or the auxiliary power unit will need to be replaced. Clean-up of the hydraulic fluid in the engine compartment was completed while the vehicle was at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., following landing. KEY STS-79 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): * Remove Spacehab payload (Thursday) * Remove Space Shuttle main engines (April 29)