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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1996 (9:08 AM EDT)

KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692)
E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov


MISSION: STS-77 -- SPACEHAB-4 & SPARTAN 207

VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 1
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 16 at 6:32 a.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 26 at 7:09 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 10 days
CREW SIZE: 6
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 176 statute miles/39 degrees

NOTE: Rollout of Endeavour to Pad 39B has been rescheduled to begin at about 10 
a.m. today. Based on this schedule, the vehicle is expected to be hard down on the pad 
at about 4 p.m. and the Rotating Service Structure moved into place around the vehicle 
at about 6 p.m. Payload installation into the pad’s Payload Changeout Room is 
complete. The payload will be transferred to the orbiter’s payload bay tomorrow.

KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Roll vehicle to Pad 39B (10 a.m. today)
* Install payload into vehicle (Wednesday)
* Space Shuttle main engine flight readiness test (Wednesday/Thursday)
* Helium signature test (April 22)
* Crew arrival for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (10:30 a.m. April 22)
* Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (April 23-24)


MISSION: STS-78 -- LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SPACELAB (LMS)

VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2   
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 20 at about 10:49 a.m. 
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 6 at about 8:46 a.m. 
MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 22 hours
CREW SIZE: 7
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 statute miles/39 degrees

NOTE: Preparations are now in work to install the Space Shuttle main engines today 
and tomorrow. Main engine no. 1 is in the OPF at this time. Payload premate testing is 
also in work today.
 
KEY STS-78 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Install Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) into transport canister (April 22)
* LMS payload installation into orbiter (April 23) 


MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
LOCATION:  Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
TARGET LAUNCH DATE: July 31 at about 11:42 p.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE: August 9 at about 8:17 p.m.
MISSION DURATION: 8 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes
CREW SIZE: 6
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE:	The payload bay doors were opened yesterday and data has been collected on 
the payload bay door latches. Assessment of this data is underway. Work has also 
begun to pinpoint the source of the hydraulic leak that occurred in the aft engine 
compartment during ascent. Later today, a sharp edge inspection will be conducted in 
the payload bay and preparations made to remove the ferry flight main engine tailcone. 
Post-flight inspections will continue all through this week.

KEY STS-79 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Remove Spacehab payload (Thursday)
* Remove Space Shuttle main engines (April 29)