GO TO THE PREVIOUS SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT

GO TO THE NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1996  (11:26 AM EDT)
LAUNCH-3 DAYS

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


MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM (image)

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 (image)
LOCATION: Pad 39A
LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Sept. 16 at about 4:54 a.m.
LAUNCH WINDOW: about 7 minutes (possibly less)
MIR DOCKING: Sept. 18 at 11:17 p.m.
TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Sept. 26 at about 8:12 a.m.
MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes
CREW: Readdy, Wilcutt, Akers, Blaha (up), Lucid (down), Apt, Walz
ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees
All times are EDT

NOTE: Countdown preparations culminated at midnight last night as the
countdown clock began ticking on time at the T-43 hour mark. Just
before midnight, the six-member crew for mission STS-79 arrived at
KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.

	At the pad, aft engine compartment and solid rocket booster
close-outs are complete. Preparations are now in work to begin the
late stowage of about 400 pounds of experiments into the Spacehab
tomorrow. Tonight, operations will begin to load cryogenic reactants
into the power reactant storage and distribution system on board the
orbiter.

	A main propulsion system helium leak reported late last night
has been determined to no longer be an issue for flight  and
engineers are preparing to close-out this system for launch. No
serious concerns are being discussed by the management team at this
time.

	Weather forecasters are currently indicating only a 30
percent chance of weather violations on launch day. The primary
concern is for a slight chance of ground fog and for possible low
clouds.

	The temperature at the pad at launch time is expected to be
about 70 degrees; relative humidity about 84 percent; clouds
scattered at 2,000 feet and 25,000 feet; pad winds from the northeast
at 6 knots; and no precipitation is forecast.

	The 24-hour delay forecast indicates a 30 percent chance of
violation. The 48-hour delay forecast shows a 40 percent chance of
violation.

KEY STS-79 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):
Begin loading cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' fuel cell storage
tanks (4 p.m. today)
Retract Rotating Service Structure from vehicle at pad (about 11 a.m. Sunday)
Begin fueling external tank for launch (about 7:33 p.m. Sunday)
Crew walkout (1:08 a.m. Monday)
--end--
	For automatic e-mail subscriptions to this daily Shuttle
status report or KSC originated press releases, send an Internet
electronic mail message to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the
message (not the subject line) type the words "subscribe
shuttle-status", or "subscribe ksc-press-release" (do not use
quotation marks). The system will reply with a confirmation via
e-mail of each subscription.

	To remove your name from the list at any time, send an e-mail
address to domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not
the subject line), type (no quotes) "unsubscribe shuttle-status", or
"unsubscribe ksc-press-release."

	Status reports and other NASA publications are available on
the World Wide Web at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/kscpao.htm