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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1996  (11:01 AM EST)

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


MISSION: STS-81 -- 5th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM (image)

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building
TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 12, 1997 at about 4:17 a.m. EST
LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 22, 1997 at about 7:52 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 3 hours, 30 minutes
CREW: Baker, Jett, Grunsfeld, Ivins, Wisoff, Linenger (up) Blaha (down)
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Preparations are underway to roll Atlantis to Pad 39B this
afternoon. Atlantis is expected to be hard-down on the pad by about 7
p.m. today. Once at the pad, all three auxiliary power units will be
"hot-fired" as a final test of the APU/hydraulic system pre-launch
check-out. Payload installation into the orbiter is set for Thursday.

KEY STS-81 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
Roll out Shuttle Atlantis to Pad 39B (today)
Hot fire all three auxiliary power units (Wednesday)
Install Spacehab into payload bay (Thursday)
Payload interface verification test (Dec. 14)
Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Dec. 16-17)
Close payload bay doors for flight (Dec. 16)
Pre-launch propellant load (Dec. 18)


MISSION: STS-82 -- HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING MISSION-2

VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: February 13, 1997 at 2:59 a.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: 61 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: February 23, 1997 at 1:35 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 22 hours
CREW: Bowersox, Horowitz, Lee, Hawley, Harbaugh, Smith, Tanner
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 360 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Checks of the main propulsion system and the Ku-band antenna
are in work today. Mid-body close-outs are also underway. A
functional check of the external airlock was successfully completed
last night. The external tank will be mated to the solid rocket
boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building following Atlantis rollout
today.

KEY STS-82 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
Mate external tank to solid rocket booster (today)
Close payload bay doors (Dec. 16)


MISSION: STS-83 -- Microgravity Science Laboratory-1

VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102	
LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 27 at 2:19 p.m. EST
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: April 12 at 7:47 a.m. EST
MISSION DURATION: 16 days
CREW: Halsell, Still, Voss, Thomas, Gernhardt, Linteris, Crouch
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: The payload bay doors were opened last night and access gained
to the airlock hatch. This morning, visual inspections and
photographic documentation of the hatch and the visible mechanisms
were completed. Most internal (crew module side) measurements are
complete with external (payload bay side) measurements continuing.
Methodical troubleshooting on the hatch continues to take priority
today as engineers hope to discovery the reason the hatch could not
be opened by the crew while on orbit.

Tomorrow, the ORFEUS-SPAS and Wake Shield Facility payloads will be removed.

KEY STS-83 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
Remove STS-80 payloads (Wednesday)
Close payload bay doors (Dec. 20)
--end--
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