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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1996 (1:59 PM EST)

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


MISSION: STS-76 -- 3rd MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB
Flight Day 4

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
LOCATION: orbit
OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 22 at 3:13:04 a.m. EST
MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 3 hours, 47 minutes
BEGIN SIX HOUR SPACEWALK: March 27 at about 1:43 a.m.
MIR UNDOCKING: March 28 at about 8:05 p.m.
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 31 at 7 a.m. EST
CREW SIZE: 6 up -- 5 down
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees
All times are EST

NOTE:  The solid rocket booster retrieval ships were back at Hangar AF 
Sunday morning. Today, post flight inspections will begin. During booster 
recovery operations at sea on Friday, one of three parachutes from the 
right-hand booster sank and was not recovered.

     Post-launch inspections of the mobile launcher platform at pad B
revealed a 63 foot long crack on one of the MLP's steel plates running from 
the north end of the left-hand flamehole to the north end of the MLP 
surface. Cracks are sometimes found and easily repaired on the MLPs 
following launch operations. No impact to later scheduled launches is 
expected. MLP 3 will next be used for Mission STS-79 in July.

The crew of mission STS-76 are: Commander Kevin Chilton; Pilot Richard 
Searfoss; and Mission Specialists Linda Godwin, Rich Clifford, Ronald Sega 
and Shannon Lucid (now of the Mir 21 crew).

     Mission STS-76 status reports are issued daily by the Johnson Space 
Center.


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.
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

STS-77 NOTE: Payload premate testing is complete and the tunnel adapter has 
been installed and leak checked. The external tank was mated to the solid 
rocket boosters last week and close-outs are underway. The crew equipment 
interface test is scheduled for later this week and the payload bay doors 
will be closed on Friday.

KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Crew equipment interface test (Thursday-Friday)
* Close payload bay doors (Friday)
* Roll vehicle to Vehicle Assembly Building (April 10)


MISSION: STS-78 -- LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SCIENCE (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
* Change from earlier status

NOTE:  The main engines were removed last week and fuel cell 3 was replaced. 
The drag chute is scheduled to be installed on Wednesday.

KEY STS-78 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Install drag chute (Wednesday)
* Checkout of orbital maneuvering system pods (Thursday)