Launch coverage continues at Part 2 of our Mission Journal.

• 15 January 2003 - Wednesday - NASA has announced the exact launch time for STS-107. The time had been kept secret due to security concerns.  NASA reports:

  Shuttle Managers Announce STS-107 Launch Time
  Space Shuttle Program managers announced Wednesday morning that STS-107 is slated to lift off at 9:39 a.m. CST [10:39AM EST/1539 GMT] Thursday. Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew will spend 16 days in space during a mission devoted to research.

  Meanwhile, final launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The crew arrived in Florida on Sunday. Workers began placing late-stow items into Columbia on Tuesday.

  After reviewing an engineering analysis, managers decided that a crack found in a metal ball associated with the Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly in Space Shuttle Discovery's 43-centimeter (17-inch) liquid oxygen line would have no impact on Columbia’s mission.

  Forecasts indicate that there is 95-percent chance of favorable weather at launch time on Thursday, with the primary concern being a slight chance of low clouds at Kennedy.

  Watch NASA TV to see STS-107 launch coverage. Space Shuttle Columbia is slated to lift off at [10:39AM EST/1539 GMT] Thursday, with coverage beginning at [7:30AM EST/1230 GMT]. NASA TV Schedule

  Meanwhile, the ISS spacewalk is in progress.

• 14 January 2003 - Tuesday - Launch prep continues today for Columbia's liftoff on a 17-day science mission this Thursday. Launch day weather looks excellent, with a 95% chance of good conditions. Security, already tight after the 9/11 attacks, is being stepped up even further to make sure that crewmember Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut), and the many spectators, are safe.

  Engineers continue to analyze the crack found in in an engine component on Shuttle Discovery to see if it could pose a threat to Columbia, but so far, things look good.  NASA reports:

  STS-107 Launch Countdown Under Way
  News conferences and other events have been scheduled for launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107, the 113th launch in the Shuttle program. Read more...

  News media badging requirements and operating hours for Kennedy Space Center’s News Center have been established for the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107. Launch is set to occur on Jan. 16 between the hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern time. Read more...

  Join our webcast today featuring the KSC Direct! coverage of STS-107. View the program...

  Meanwhile, in orbit on the ISS, Expedition Six will make the first and only spacewalk of their stint aboard the Station tomorrow.

  Expedition Six Crewmembers to Take Stroll Wednesday
  The Expedition Six crew will continue the outfitting of the International Space Station's newest component, the P1 (P-One) Truss during a spacewalk on Wednesday. Commander Ken Bowersox and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are slated to begin the 6.5-hour extravehicular activity about 6:30 a.m. CST [7:30AM EST/1230 GMT] Wednesday. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the spacewalk, beginning at 5 a.m. CST [6AM EST/1100 GMT]. NASA TV Schedule

  Follow the EVA here, and watch live on NASA TV.

• 13 January 2003 - Monday - Mission managers have started the countdown to Shuttle Columbia's science flight. The crew arrived at KSC late last night, disembarking from a small passenger plane. The astros normally fly themselves in T-38 jets, but bad weather in Houston prevented that. NASA reports:

  STS-107 Countdown Begins
  The STS-107 launch countdown began Sunday night at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Space Shuttle Columbia is scheduled to begin the 16-day scientific mission with a liftoff between [10AM-2PM EST/1500-1900 GMT] Thursday. Also, the seven-member STS-107 flight crew arrived at KSC Sunday night.

  Preparations continue to roll along at Launch Pad 39A. Workers are preparing to load liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into Columbia's Power Reactant Storage and Distribution System. Tuesday, workers will place late-stow payloads into the shuttle.

  Meanwhile, engineers continue to analyze a crack found in a metal ball associated with the Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly in Space Shuttle Discovery's 43-centimeter (17-inch) liquid oxygen line. STS-107 managers met Sunday night and decided to begin the countdown. They are scheduled to receive a final STS-107 launch assessment on Tuesday.

  All restricted areas surrounding KSC will be active for the launch of Columbia, and the area covered by flight restrictions extends beyond the Cape Canaveral restricted areas.

  NASA has also announced airspace restrictions for next week's launch. Security is extra tight due to the tense situation in the Middle East, and the presence of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut.

• 12 January 2003 - Sunday - The countdown for STS-107 should begin soon, after mission managers cleared the Shuttle for flight this Thursday. There was a concern over cracked bearings revealed in Discovery's fuel lines, but tests on Endeavour and Atlantis turned up clean.

  Security will be tight as ever in this post-9/11 world, but Mission Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, says that space should be a unifier, not a divider. He will be overseeing a dust-storm observation experiment on this flight. Crew pics here. NASA reports:

  KSC Direct
  Submit your STS-107 questions to one of our KSC Direct! Question Boards!
  * Shuttle Processing
  * SPACEHAB
  * An Astronaut's Perspective

  Stay up to date with our Live Launch Coverage and ask our experts a question to be answered during KSC Direct! webcast. Don't forget to test your knowledge - take the Mission Quiz!

• 10 January 2003 - Friday - Launch preparations continue, and the date has been confirmed.  NASA reports:

  STS-107 Launch Set for Jan. 16
  At the conclusion of the STS-107 Flight Readiness Review on Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., managers targeted Space Shuttle Columbia for launch Jan. 16 on an international mission devoted to space research, the first dedicated research mission to be flown by the shuttle in almost three years.

  Pending resolution of continuing engineering analysis of support assemblies in the shuttle propellant lines, Columbia will launch between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. CST (1500 and 1900 GMT) on the 16-day flight. A precise launch time will be announced about 24 hours before liftoff. The engineering analysis of ball strut tie rod assemblies, resulting from a crack found in an assembly on Discovery, is expected to be completed early next week.

  Meanwhile, launch preparations continue to roll along. Workers have completed pressurization of the Orbiter Maneuvering System and the Reaction Control System. Also, workers are slated to close Columbia's Main Engine compartment doors.

  Due to tight security for this flight, NASA will not announce the exact time for liftoff until 24 hours in advance. All we know is that it will happen between 10AM and 2PM EST on Thursday the 16th.

• 09 January 2003 - Thursday - Web coverage for next week's launch has been announced. Here's the latest schedule:

Launch Date:		No Earlier Than Thursday, 16 January 2003
Launch Time:		To Be Announced
Launch Window:		To Be Announced
Landing:		To Be Announced
Landing Facility:		Kennedy Space Center (target)
Duration:		15 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes (estimated)

• 09 December 2002 - Monday - Columbia has rolled out to the launchpad at KSC for a science flight - the first non-ISS mission since March's STS-109, and the first pure science mission since STS-99, three years ago.  NASA reports:

  Columbia Moves to Launch Pad
  Space Shuttle Columbia rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Monday morning at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The Rotating Service Structure is slated to be wrapped around Columbia Monday afternoon to protect it from any possible damage from approaching storms. The structure will be retracted Tuesday to set the stage for an Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire test.

  STS-107, the Spacehab Microgravity Research Mission, will be dedicated to science. It is slated to launch no earlier than Jan. 16, 2003, and will be the 113th shuttle flight.

  Check out STS-107 preflight animations and imagery in the Gallery.

  Stay Tuned...

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