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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1994 (1:33 PM EDT)


MISSION: STS-68 -- SPACE RADAR LABORATORY-2

VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
LOCATION: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
KSC LAUNCH DATE and TIME: Sept. 30, 1994 at 7:16 a.m. EDT
EDWARDS LANDING DATE and TIME: Oct. 11 at 1:02 p.m. EDT
MISSION ELAPSED TIME (MET): 11 days/5 hours/47 minutes/8 seconds

	Following Endeavour's landing yesterday at  Edwards Air 
Force Base, Calif., the orbiter was towed to the mate-demate 
device where vehicle securing and safing operations began and 
continue today. No significant damage occurred to the vehicle's 
fragile thermal protection system during entry or landing 
operations. Engineers today are mapping the areas on the orbiter 
for specific tile damage. Also, preparations are now in work to 
ready the vehicle for its ferry flight return to Kennedy Space 
Center. Managers have scheduled the flight back to KSC to begin 
on Tuesday, Oct. 18.


MISSION: STS-66 -- ATLAS-3/CRISTA-SPAS

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
ORBITAL ALTITUDE: 189 sm
LOCATION: Pad 39B
INCLINATION: 57 degrees
TARGET LAUNCH DATE: Nov. 3
CREW SIZE: 6
LAUNCH TIME: 11:56 a.m. EST
LAUNCH WINDOW: 1 hour/2 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Nov. 14/7:42 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 10 days/20 hours

IN WORK TODAY:
  Pad validations
  Main engine leak checks
  Preparations to load hypergolic fuels

WORK SCHEDULED:
  Main engine flight readiness test
  Crew emergency egress training
  T-0 for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Friday)

WORK COMPLETED:
  Install payload
  Crew arrival for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test
  Rotate service structure around vehicle
  Open payload bay doors
  Main engine securing


MISSION: STS-63 -- MIR RENDEZVOUS, SPARTAN and SPACEHAB-3

VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
ORBITAL ALTITUDE: 196 sm
LOCATION: OPF bay 2
INCLINATION: 51.60 degrees
TARGET LAUNCH PERIOD: early February
CREW SIZE: 6
APPROX. LAUNCH TIME: very early morning	KSC 
LANDING DATE/TIME: TBD
LAUNCH WINDOW: 5 minutes
MISSION DURATION: 8 days/4 hours

IN WORK TODAY:
  Main engine removal preparations
  Remove main engine heatshields
  Forward reaction control system functional checks
  Remove LITE and Spartan 201 payloads

WORK SCHEDULED:
  TACAN activation and test
  Auxiliary power unit leak and functional tests 
  Remove space shuttle main engines

WORK COMPLETED:
  Preparations to remove LITE and Spartan 201 payloads
  Structural checks and tests
  Tire and wheel assembly removal
  Open payload bay doors
  Flight control frequency response test
  Deploy Ku-band antenna


MISSION: STS-73 -- UNITED STATES MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY-2

VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
LOCATION: Palmdale, Calif.

NOTE: Columbia, riding atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, 
arrived at Palmdale, Calif., yesterday at about 3:15 p.m. EDT. It 
will be demated from the 747 today and turned over to Rockwell 
contractors tomorrow for the scheduled six-month orbiter 
maintenance down period. Columbia is currently scheduled to 
return to Kennedy Space Center in early April 1995. Once back at 
KSC processing will begin for mission STS-73 scheduled for launch 
in late summer 1995.