STS-110 (109)

Atlantis (25)

Pad 39-B (50)

109th Shuttle Mission

1st use of 3 Block-II SSME

Crew:

Michael J. Bloomfield (3), Commander

Stephen N. Frick (1), Pilot

Jerry L. Ross (7), Mission Specialist

Steven L. Smith (4), Mission Specialist

Ellen Ochoa (4), Mission Specialist

Lee M.E. Morin (1), Mission Specialist

Rex J. Walheim (1), Mission Specialist

Milestones:

OPF -- 07/25/01 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 7/25/2001)

VAB -- 03/06/02 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/06/2002)

PAD -- 03/12/02 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/12/2002)

Payload:

International Space Station Flight 8A (ITS SO, MT)

Mission Objectives:

Click here for Additional Info on STS-110

Deliver the International Space Station (ISS) Center Integrated Truss Assembly (ITS) Starbord 0 (S-Zero) and the Mobile Transporter (MT). The S0 Truss is 13.4 meters (44 feet) long and 4.6 meters (15 feet) wide. It weighs 12,247kg (27,000 lbs) and forms the center backbone of the Space Station. During the mission it will be attached to the US Lab module. S0 is used to route power to the pressurized station modules and conduct heat away from the modules to the S1 (Flight 9A / STS-112) and P1 Trusses (Flight 11A / STS-113).

The Mobile Transporter (MT) is a 885kb (1,950 lb) assembly that will glide down rails on the station integrated trusses. During STS-111 the Mobile Base System (MBS) will be mounted to the MT. This Mobile Servicing System (MSS) will allow the Canadarm2 to travel down the length of the installed truss structure.

Launch:

April 8, 2002 4:44:19 p.m. EDT. Launch Window was 5-10 minutes.

The opening of the launch window was at 4:34:31 p.m. EDT and the launch was scheduled for 4:39:31 p.m. EDT. The Orbiter Access Arm (OAA) was retracted at 4:33 p.m. EDT. The countdown clock was briefly held at the T-minus 5 minute mark due to a minor problem with the Launch Processing System (LPS) communication with a Front End Processor (FEP). The countdown picked up in less than 5 minutes and launched 11 seconds shy of the end of the launch window.

The launch scheduled for Thursday, April 4, 2002 at 5:13 p.m. EST was scrubbed at 9:27 a.m. EST. due to a hydrogen leak on the outside of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The leak was detected at 9:11a.m. EST and tanking operations were terminated shortly afterwards. The External Tank was drained and the mission management team rescheduled the launch for no earlier than Monday, April 8, 2002.

Previous launch date was no earlier than March 21, 2002, February 28, 2002 and before that January 17, 2002 and January 11, 2002.