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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
Wednesday, April 3, 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
 -  Installation of aft compartment flight doors
 -  Final tire pressure checks

STS-77 WORK SCHEDULED:
 -  Crew cabin pressurized leak check (Thursday)
 -  Weight and center of gravity determination  (Fri.)
 -  Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building  (Apr. 9)
 -  Mate orbiter to external tank/solid rocket booster stack (Apr. 10)
 -  Spacehab payload to Pad 39-B  (Apr.15)
 -  Endeavour rollout to Pad 39-B  (Apr. 17)
 -  Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test  (Apr. 24)

STS-77 WORK COMPLETED:
 -  Aft main engine compartment closeouts
 -  Power down of orbiter in preparation for rollover


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

	Functional testing of the orbital maneuvering system
continues.  Functional testing of the air data probes and the
orbiter’s fuel cells has been completed.  A clogged water valve is
being removed and replaced on the flash evaporator system today.
Polishing of windows No. 3 and 4 continues.  The payload bay is being
prepared for the Life and Microgravity Science Laboratory.

	In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking of the left aft
center solid rocket booster was completed yesterday.  The left
forward center segment will be stacked tonight.  In the Operations
and Checkout Building, the STS-78 astronauts are conducting a Crew
Equipment Interface Test of mission experiments 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.  Draining
of residual hypergolic fuels which was originally scheduled for last
night is occurring today. Inspections of the aft main engine
compartment began last night.  Cleaning of some hydraulic fluid is
being performed to facilitate the inspections.  The greatest
concentration of hydraulic fluid is in an area where a supply hose
connects to a filter module. However, it is currently uncertain if
this was the source of the leak.  The ferry flight back to KSC
remains targeted to begin at local sunrise on Friday.  Arrival at KSC
is expected to occur within a half hour of local sunset if a one day
ferry flight can be achieved.
	                                                             
         
KSC 24-Hour Weather Summary
Shuttle Landing Facility - 7:00 a.m.

Today’s minimum temperature: 56 degrees
Yesterday’s maximum temperature: 62 degrees
Lowest relative humidity: 62 percent
Peak wind speed/direction: 30 mph/N
Precipitation: 0
Total April precipitation: 0
Barometer at 7 a.m.: 30.16