kennedy orbiter processing facility sts 126

the Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control System pods were possibly removed and transferred to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility for troubleshooting, repair or other services.any needed repairs on the orbiter's thermal protection system including the thermal blankets and thousands of tiles were completed.

main engines were removed and transferred to the Main Engine Processing Facility for checkout and service.

scaffolding was installed around the orbiters aft to allow technicians to access the main engines.

main engines were locked in place and covers installed.

heat shields were removed from the engines and aft access were opened.

refuse and other waste products including draining of the potable water system were offloaded.

high-pressure gases were vented from the environmental control and life support systems.

The oxygen system was rendered inert with gaseous nitrogen and the hydrogen system with gaseous helium.

fuel cell tanks were drained of remaining cryogenic reactants.

payload bay doors were opened and any hazardous payloads were processed for safety.

The orbiter's main engines were purged to remove the moisture that was a by-product of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen combustion.

Any remaining payloads from the previous mission were removed and the vehicle was fully inspected, tested, and refurbished. When a Shuttle mission was completed, the orbiter was towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility to its assigned OPF where it spent several months (typically less than 100 days) being prepared for the next mission. Processing flow Discovery inside OPF-3 following the completion of mission STS-114 OPF-3 was previously called the Orbiter Maintenance & Refurbishment Facility (OMRF), but was upgraded to a fully functioning OPF. OPF-1 and OPF-2 are connected with a low bay between them, while OPF-3 is across the street. They are located west of the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the orbiter was mated with its External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters before transport to the launch pad.

Space Shuttle orbiters underwent maintenance between flights. Orbiter Processing Facility ( OPF) is a class of hangars where U.S.

Kennedy orbiter processing facility sts 126