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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
Tuesday, April 2, 1996

George H. Diller


Vehicle: OV-105/Endeavour
Mission number: STS-77
Location: OPF Bay 3
Primary payload: Spacehab 4/Spartan 207
Astronauts: 6
Orbital altitude: 176 statute miles
Inclination: 39 degrees
Mission Duration: 10 days, 0 hours, 37 minutes
Launch date:   May 16    6:32 a.m. EDT
Landing date:  May 26    7:09 a.m. EDT

STS-77 IN WORK TODAY:
 -  Crew compartment closeouts
 -  Aft compartment closeouts

STS-77 WORK SCHEDULED:
 -  Installation of aft compartment flight doors  (Wed.)
 -  Weight and center of gravity determination  (Fri.)
 -  Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building  (April 9)

STS-77 WORK COMPLETED:
 -  Payload bay cleaning
 -  Closure of payload bay doors

ISSUES AND CONCERNS:  None


STS-78/OV-102/Columbia
Life and Microgravity Science Laboratory
OPF Bay 2

     Functional testing of the orbital maneuvering system pods continues. 
Windows No. 3 and 4 are being polished today.  The payload bay is being 
prepared for the Spacelab Life and Microgravity Science Laboratory.

     In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking of the left solid rocket 
booster was completed yesterday.  The left aft center segment is being 
stacked today. 
     
     In an off-line laboratory facility at the Operations and Checkout 
Building, the STS-78 astronauts are conducting a Crew Equipment Interface 
Test of the mission experiments.  On Wednesday, they will work inside the 
Spacelab LMS laboratory module.


STS-76

     Atlantis is in the mate-demate device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research 
Facility at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  Yesterday the residual 
cryogenic reactants were offloaded. Technicians gained access into the aft 
main engine compartment last night. The initial inspection showed a thin 
film of hydraulic fluid throughout the aft.  No ponding of fluid was seen. 
Current planning has cleaning to begin after return to KSC.  Residual 
hypergolic reactants are being drained today after which a more thorough 
inspection of the aft main engine compartment can be conducted.

     All activities are on schedule and the ferry flight back to KSC remains 
targeted to begin at local sunrise on Friday morning.  This is being planned 
as a one day flight, weather permitting.
                                                                              

KSC 24-Hour Weather Summary
Shuttle Landing Facility - 7:00 a.m.

Today's minimum temperature: 54 degrees
Yesterday's maximum temperature: 79 degrees
Lowest relative humidity: 49 percent
Peak wind speed/direction: 31 mph/W
Precipitation: 0
Total April precipitation: 0
Barometric pressure: 29.96