SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
STATUS REPORT: S-082406
NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Status Report
*Note:* NASA's Kennedy Space Center issues Space Shuttle Processing Status Reports periodically and is the source for information regarding processing activities associated with the vehicles and payloads. This report does not necessarily reflect the chronological order of future space shuttle missions. If you are a member of the media and would like further information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/index.html
*Mission:* STS-115 - 19th International Space Station Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Truss Segment and Solar Arrays *Vehicle:* Atlantis (OV-104) *Location:* Launch Pad 39B *Launch Date:* Aug. 27, 2006, 4:30 p.m. EDT *Crew:* Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper *Inclination/Orbit Altitude:* 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
At Launch Pad 39B, closeout of the orbiter's aft compartments is complete and the aft doors have been installed. Technicians have finished performing the aft confidence test, which involves powering up and testing all of the aft systems, such as the main propulsion system circuits. The payload bay doors will be closed today for flight.
The start of the launch countdown was moved from 6 p.m. to noon Eastern time today to allow for earlier loading of fuel for the power reactant storage and distribution system. The goal is to finish the system loads before the predicted afternoon thunderstorms on Friday. Additional hold time will be added at the T-19 hour mark, extending the hold from four hours to 10 hours. After T-19, the schedule will proceed as normal, culminating in a launch on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The STS-115 crew arrived at 11:30 a.m. today at the Shuttle Landing Facility from Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will spend the next days prior to launch going over their flight plans.
U.S. Air Force weather officers are forecasting a 30-percent chance of weather prohibiting a launch attempt on Sunday. The primary weather concerns are anvil clouds, showers and thunderstorms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility.