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SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
March 13, 2003

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
                                         

MISSION:  Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH PAD:  Skid Strip, Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: March 30, 2003 NET 
LAUNCH WINDOW:  6:50 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. EST  (Drop time 7:00 a.m.)

In the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPDF), mating of the 
GALEX spacecraft to Pegasus launch vehicle is underway today.  Once 
the electrical connections have been established, a Flight Simulation 
test will be performed.

GALEX will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the last 
week of March for mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier
aircraft. 

A request for a launch date of Apr. 2 has been made to the Eastern
Range.  That date is not available at this time.  As an alternative,
schedule options are being developed for a launch date as early as
Mar. 30.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program.  Spacecraft
project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for 
mission science. 


MISSION: Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II Heavy
LAUNCH PAD: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE:  April 15, 2003 NET
LAUNCH TIME: 4:34:07 a.m. EDT

The SIRTF spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Mar. 
6.  It was shipped from the Lockheed Martin plant at Sunnyvale, Calif. 
Testing and final preparations for launch are being performed in a 
class 10,000 laminar flow clean room at NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE on 
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Once inside the high bay, the spacecraft was rotated to vertical and
the protective coverings removed.  Spacecraft systems functional
testing is underway this week.

The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B began
on Monday, Feb. 24 with the erection of the first stage.  Erection of
the nine solid rocket boosters was completed this week.  The second
stage is planned for hoisting atop the first stage on Friday, March
12.   A leak check of the first stage that includes loading liquid
oxygen aboard is scheduled for March 22.   A flight simulation to test 
the vehicle's systems that will operate during power flight is
scheduled for March 26. 


MISSION: Mars Exploration Rovers (MER-1/MER-2)

LAUNCH VEHICLES: Delta II/Delta II Heavy
LAUNCH PADS: 17-A/17-B
LAUNCH DATES: May 30/June 25
LAUNCH TIMES: 2:28 p.m. / 12:34 a.m. EDT

At Kennedy Space Center, the second of the two Mars Exploration
Rovers, MER-1, arrived on Tuesday, March 11 and has begun its
prelaunch testing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF).
A functional test of the MER-2 rover systems was conducted on Mar. 6
and Mar. 9 and included deployment of the lander petals, the rover's
solar arrays, camera mast and camera.  The camera also took test
images.  A similar test for MER-1 is scheduled to occur late next
week.

Once functional testing and mission simulation of the flight elements
is complete, they will be integrated together.  Each spacecraft will
be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel
the spacecraft out of Earth orbit.  After mating to the upper stage,
the stack will undergo spin balance testing.  Approximately ten days
before launch the payload will be transported to the launch pad for
mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets.

The Boeing Delta II vehicle for the first launch of the two launches 
scheduled on May 30 is planned for erection on Pad 17-A at Space 
Launch Complex 17 beginning April 18.  The Delta for the second launch 
on June 25 will begin erection activities on May 1 on Pad 17-B.

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