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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1996 (10:56 AM EST)

KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham
E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov

MISSION: STS-75 -- TETHERED SATELLITE-1R & USMP-3

VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
LOCATION: Pad 39B
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Feb. 22 at 3:18 p.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 7 at about 7:32 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 13 days, 16 hours
CREW SIZE: 7
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Ordnance connections and operations to pressurize the
hypergolic reactant tanks onboard Columbia are complete. The Tethered
Satellite System batteries were installed last night. Aft engine
compartment and payload bay close-outs continue today. Work remains
on schedule for launch one week from today.

	The crew for mission STS-75 are: Commander Andy Allen; Pilot
Scott Horowitz; Mission Specialists Jeff Hoffman, Maurizo Cheli,
Claude Nicollier, and Franklin Chang-Diaz; and Payload Specialist
Umberto Guidoni.

IN WORK TODAY:
* Aft engine compartment close-outs
* Payload bay close-outs
* Inert gas purge of the external tank
* Countdown preparations

KEY STS-75 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES:
* Complete aft engine compartment close-outs (Saturday)
* Close payload bay doors for flight (Saturday)
* Crew arrival at KSC (3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19)
* Begin launch countdown (4 p.m. Feb. 19)


MISSION: STS-76 -- 3rd MIR DOCKING

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 21 at about 3:35 a.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: about 6 minutes
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 30 at about 8:05 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 4 hours
CREW SIZE: 6 up -- 5 down
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Close-outs of the payload bay and aft engine compartment
continue. The payload bay doors will be closed for flight at about 8
p.m. tonight. The orbiter remains on schedule to be moved to the
Vehicle Assembly Building at midnight Monday night.

KEY STS-76 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building and mate with external
tank (Feb. 20)
* Roll out to Pad 39B (Feb. 28)


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

VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105
LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: May 16 at 6:32 a.m.
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: May 26 at 6:49 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 10 days
CREW SIZE: 6
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 176 statute miles/39 degrees

NOTE: The radiator mechanical functional check on the payload bay
doors is complete. A system test of the power reactant storage and
distribution system is in work today. Hydraulic flight control tests
will be conducted today. The remote manipulator system is scheduled
to be installed later today. Solid rocket booster stacking operations
are underway in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Install drag chute (Feb. 20)
* Install Space Shuttle main engines (March 1)