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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
MONDAY, MARCH 11, 1996 (12:13 PM EST)

KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham 407-867-2468 (fax 407-867-2692)
E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov

MISSION:STS-76 -- 3rd MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB

VEHICLE:Atlantis/OV-104
LOCATION:Pad 39B
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 21 at about 3:35 a.m. EST
LAUNCH WINDOW: 6 to 10 minutes
TARGETKSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 30 at about 8:05 a.m. EST
MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 4 hours
CREW SIZE: 6 up -- 5 down
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE: Operations to load hypergolic reactants into the orbiter’s
reaction control system were completed Friday. Aft engine compartment
closeouts are today in work and scheduled for completion this
Saturday. Final payload interface verification tests are also in work
today. The STS-76 Flight Readiness Review involving NASA managers
from various spaceflight centers will occur today from 12 noon-3 p.m.
at KSC.

KEY STS-76 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Close payload bay doors for flight (Tuesday)
* Ordnance installation (Wednesday)
* Pressurize hypergolic reactant storage tanks (Thursday)


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.
TARGETKSC 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: Work to replace the remote manipulator system is complete.
Installation of the Space Shuttlemain engines was delayed this
weekend and will begin on Wednesday. Solid rocket booster stacking
operations continue in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Payload premate tests (Tuesday)
* Install Space Shuttle main engines (Wednesday)


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

VEHICLE: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2
TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: June 27 at 10:49 a.m.
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 13 at 8:46 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 15 days, 22 hours
CREW SIZE: 7
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 173 statute miles/39 degrees

NOTE: The orbiter Columbia on Mission STS-75 landed safely Saturday on Kennedy Space
Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 33 at 8:58 a.m.

	At 12:21 p.m. Saturday, ground crews began towing Columbia
off the SLF to Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2. Tow operations were
completed at about 2:10 p.m.

	On Sunday in the OPF, post-flight deservicing began. Final
drainage of the power reactant storage and distribution system tanks
was completed and the aft engine compartment opened. Today, fuel cell
inerting is underway.

	The current schedule indicates the payload bay doors will be
open tomorrow and the Tethered Satellite System and U.S.
Microgravity Payload will be removed on Friday. Transport to the Operations
and Checkout Building will occur the next day.