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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1996 (10:03 AM 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 5

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 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

NOTE: Payload premate testing is complete and the tunnel adapter has been 
installed and leak checked. The crew equipment interface test has been 
advanced and is occurring today in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The 
payload bay doors will be closed on Friday. A landing gear functional test 
is also underway today.

KEY STS-77 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Crew equipment interface test (today)
* 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. 
A fuel cell functional test will be later scheduled following an 
unsuccessful initial test earlier this week. The drag chute is scheduled to 
be installed tomorrow. The orbital maneuvering system functional check is 
scheduled for most of next week.

KEY STS-78 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
* Install drag chute (Wednesday)
* Checkout of orbital maneuvering system pods (Thursday)
* Install Space Shuttle main engines (April 15)


NOTE on DISCOVERY: The orbiter Discovery, currently undergoing a series of 
modifications and thorough inspections in Palmdale, Calif., is scheduled to 
be delivered back to KSC on or about June 28. The Orbital Maintenance Down 
Period (OMDP) is a routinely scheduled operation that periodically removes 
the orbiters from flight operations. Once Discovery is ferried back to KSC, 
operations will begin to prepare it for its next flight in February 1997, 
Mission STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.