STS-117 - Shuttle Processing

Shuttle Processing

STS-117 was originally planned to launch on 16 March, but the launch date was later moved forward in order to extend the launch window and increase the chances of a successful launch within that time frame. In preparation for this earlier launch date, Atlantis was transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building on 7 February 2007. First motion was at 06:19 EST.

Following the arrival of the shuttle in the assembly facility, Atlantis was fitted with two bridge cranes that lifted her vertically, to position her for mating to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, already in place atop the mobile launcher platform. The mating of the Orbiter to the stack occurred on 12 February 2007. The rest of the pre-launch preparations also continued to proceed according to plans, with the payload canister, containing the S3/S4 Truss and a set of solar arrays, arriving at the launch pad at 02:54 EST on 12 February 2007. The canister lift began at 05:40 EST the same morning, ready for transfer of the ISS truss segments and other cargo into the Payload Changeout Room on the newly-refurbished rotating service structure of pad 39A.

Atlantis was originally scheduled to begin her rollout to launch pad 39A (the first shuttle launch at 39A in four years) on 14 February 2007, however due to erratic chamber pressure readings on one of the Operational Pressure Transducers (OPTs) on the forward skirt area of the right-hand SRB, the rollout was delayed to 07:00 EST on the morning of 15 February 2007. Various problems, including a generator transfer issue to the mobile launcher platform, meant that first movement of the stack was delayed from the scheduled rollout time and did not occur until 08:19 EST. The 3.4-mile (5.5 km), six-hour journey to the launchpad concluded that afternoon, with Atlantis arriving at the launch pad at 15:09 EST. It was decided that the issue with the OPT would be solved on the launch pad, a task which may require all six transducers on the STS-117 stack being removed and replaced.

On 21 February 2007, the STS-117 crew traveled from Houston to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The astronauts were at KSC from 21–23 February 2007, during which time they practiced launch activities, carried out safety exercises, inspected the payload and concluded the test with a simulated main engine cut-off exercise. They then returned to Houston via T-38 jets, planning to return to KSC a few days before launch. The next milestone in the launch preparations was the Flight Readiness Review from 27–28 February 2007, during which time managers, engineers and contractors examined the readiness of the Space Shuttle, flight crew and payloads to determine whether everything was set to proceed for launch.