SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR Z. ROWE N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

Space Shuttle Mission STS-115

Orbiter: Atlantis Mission: Space Station Assembly Mission 12A Payload: P3/P4 Integrated Truss Segment Launch Window: Aug. 27 - Sept. 13 Launch Pad: 39B Mission Duration: 11 days

Launch Date Decision Nears

The two-day flight readiness review for mission STS-115 begins today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following the conclusion of the review on Wednesday, officials will host a news conference to announce the targeted launch date for STS-115.

What is the flight readiness review? Approximately two weeks prior to the opening of the launch window for each space shuttle, the Shuttle Mission Management Team meets at Kennedy Space Center for a thorough review of the next mission. Also in attendance are other top-level NASA officials, Space Shuttle Program managers, engineers and contractors. The group conducts a comprehensive evaluation of all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of shuttle mission operations -- from the prelaunch phase through post-landing. They also examine the readiness of the space shuttle, flight crew and payloads to determine if everything is set to proceed with launch.

At the conclusion of the review, the chairman of the Mission Management Team conducts a poll of the team members. If there are no unresolved issues, the members then sign a "Certification of Flight Readiness" to verify that all flight preparation processes to that date have been successfully completed. The official launch date is then set and announced, and shuttle processing continues toward the projected liftoff date.

The STS-115 astronauts spent last week at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they conducted the terminal countdown demonstration test in preparation for their launch aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. + Read More + View Video (Real) + View Video (Windows)

The Launch Team Meet the NASA team that is responsible for launching mission STS-115. + Launch Team What does it take to carry out a space shuttle mission? Shuttle experts answer questions submitte