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Shuttle News

PRCB Update: Drifting Toward A Later STS-121 Launch?

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
December 9, 2005

Editor’s note: A PRCB Directive was signed yesterday (SEE FULL TEXT BELOW). According to those who have read it, the directive implies (but does not call for) a possible move of the launch of STS-121 (beyond May 2006 timeframe). The indication comes from the fact that the directive authorized moving forward on removing the PAL ramps.

As has been discussed previously, the removal of the ramps would require testing to insure that the lines previously protected by the PAL ramp would survive lift off loads. That testing would probably not be completed in time to support the May 2006 launch.

It is important to note, in all due fairness to NASA, that NASA has not actually set a specific date for the launch of STS-121. Rather, they have a window that they are aiming for. As such, it is not exactly correct to say that the launch may be slipped – rather that the target period may slip. Either way, there is a possibility that STS-121 may sit on Earth longer than had been hoped.

Also under discussion is moving the STS-120 (Node 2) mission to the STS-118 slot however that decision probably won’t be made until mid-January 2006.

For what lies ahead in the future, see the 19 October and 24 October versions of the FAWG (Flight Assignment Working Group) Planning Manifests for the latest thinking about the remaining missions the shuttle fleet will fly.

Earlier PRCB updates:

PRCB Update: Looking Ahead to Future Natural Disasters

PRCB Update: ET Folks Not Ready For Prime Time, 21 November 2005

PRCB: Shuttle Launch Dates Are Still TBD, 14 Nov 2005

Shuttle Scheduling Update, 4 Nov 2005

PRCB Tackles STS-121 Launch Date, 14 Oct 2005


|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|PCIN 062776            |        SPACE SHUTTLE          |PAGE 1   OF 3        |
|-----------------------|     PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS      |---------------------|
|PRCBD NO. S062776BR1   |    CONTROL BOARD DIRECTIVE    | PRCB     11/17/05   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|CHANGE TITLE:                                                                |
|   ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THE NON-PAL RAMP DESIGN                   |
|                                                                             |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|CHANGE PROPOSAL(S) NO. AND SOURCE     |DOCUMENTS AFFECTED (NO.,TITLE,PARA)   |
|  SSP CR S062776B                     |                                      |
|  R1 PRCBD S062776B                   |                                      |
|  R1 SSP CR S062776E                  |                                      |
|  R1 SSP CR S062776F                  |                                      |
|  R1 SR3111                           |                                      |
|                                      |                                      |
|                                      |                                      |
|                                      |                                      |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|INITIATED BY: JSC-MS/R. WALLACE       |SUBMITTED BY: JSC-MS/J. MURATORE      |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|SSP BASELINE CHANGE DIRECTION:                  OPR: MM          BGC/MHC     |
|                                                BOARD: PRCB                  |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776B WAS ISSUED TO PROVIDE AUTHORITY-TO-PROCEED (ATP) WITH THE |
|    ENGINEERING AND INTEGRATION PLANNING, AND LONG-LEAD ITEMS NECESSARY TO   |
|    SUPPORT DELETION OF THE LH2 AND LO2 PROTUBERANCE AIR LOAD RAMPS FROM THE |
|    EXTERNAL TANK DESIGN BASELINE AND REMOVAL OF PAL RAMPS FROM EXISTING     |
|    TANKS.                                                                   |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776B WAS ALSO ISSUED TO PROVIDE COST AUTHORITY NOT-TO-EXCEED   |
|    (NTE) COST FOR THE INTERIM PERIOD BETWEEN ATP AND ATP +30 DAY.           |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776B WAS ALSO ISSUED TO ASSIGN AN ACTION.                      |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776BR1 IS ISSUED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COST AUTHORITY FOR      |
|R1  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NON-PAL RAMP DESIGN.                               |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776BR1 IS ALSO ISSUED TO ASSIGN AN ACTION.                     |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|R1  EFFECTIVITY:NON FLT SPECIFIC (S062276B, R1)                              |
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|AUTHORIZATION:                                                               |
|   /S/J. P. SHANNON, FOR                     12/07/05                        |
|   ------------------------------------      --------                        |
|   SIGNATURE (CHAIR SPACE SHUTTLE PRCB)      DATE                            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 SSP FORM 4003 (REV MAY 05)                                     BARS RPT 8101
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|PCIN 062776        |         SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM        |PAGE 2   OF 3     |
|-------------------|      DOCUMENT CONTINUATION SHEET     |------------------|
|      S062776BR1   |                                      |DATE 11/17/05     |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|DOCUMENT: PRCBD S062776BR1                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776BR1 ALSO DISPOSITIONS SSP CR S062276E AND SSP CR S062776F.  |
|                                                                             |
|R1  PRCBD S062776BR1 ALSO CLOSES ACTION (1-1) JSC-MS AND (1-2) MSFC-ET FROM  |
|R1  PRCBD S062776B.                                                          |
|                                                                             |
|R1  CHANGES TO PRCBD S062776B ARE INDICATED BY AN R1 SYMBOL.                 |
|                                                                             |
|    SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM IMPACTS AUTHORIZED BY THIS DIRECTION:              |
|    --WEIGHT:  NONE, --SCHEDULE:  NONE, --COST:  FY05                        |
|    .                                   MSFC-ET $100K                        |
|    .                                    JSC-MS $200K                        |
|    .                                           ------                       |
|    .                                     TOTAL $300K                        |
|                                                                             |
|R1  .                                                    FY06                |
|R1  .                                          MSFC-ET  $0.553M              |
|R1  .                                           JSC-MS  $2.380M              |
|R1  .                                                   -------              |
|R1  .                                            TOTAL  $2.933M              |
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 SSP FORM 4001 (REV APR 93)                                     BARS RPT 8102
 |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|PCIN 062776        |         SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM        |PAGE 3   OF 3     |
|-------------------|      DOCUMENT CONTINUATION SHEET     |------------------|
|      S062776BR1   |                                      |DATE 11/17/05     |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|DOCUMENT: PRCBD S062776BR1                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|     ACTION:                                                                 |
|     JSC-MS       (1-1)  & SUBMIT A CR WITH DETAILED COST AND SCHEDULE TO    |
|     MSFC-ET      (1-2)    IMPLEMENT THE NON-PAL RAMP DESIGN (OPTIONS A AND  |
|                           B).                                               |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|                           ACTION OPR: MSFC-MP71                             |
|                           ACTION DUE: 11/10/05                              |
|R1                                 (NEED DATE)(ACTION COMPLETE)              |
|                           CLASSIFICATION: DOC/FILE                          |
|                           EFFECTIVITY: NON FLT SPECIFIC                     |
|                                                                             |
|                                                                             |
|R1   ACTION FOR PRCBD S062776BR1:                                            |
|R1   JSC-MS       (1-1)  & PROPOSE A PLAN FOR FLYING THE FIRST FLIGHT WITH   |
|R1   MSFC-ET      (1-2)    NO ET PAL RAMP INSTALLED.                         |
|                                                                             |
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|R1                         ACTION OPR: JSC-MS                                |
|R1                         ACTION DUE: 12/14/05                              |
|R1                                 (NEED DATE)                               |
|R1                         CLASSIFICATION: PLANS/STUDIES                     |
|R1                         EFFECTIVITY: NON FLT SPECIFIC                     |
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.