• VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
• LOCATION: Pad 39B
• KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 12, 1997 at about 4:27 a.m. EST
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7 minutes
• DOCK WITH MIR: Jan. 14 at about 10:50 p.m. EST
• UNDOCK FROM MIR:Jan. 19 at about 9:12 p.m. EST
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 22 at about 7:57 a.m. EST
• MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 3 hours, 30 minutes
• CREW: Baker, Jett, Grunsfeld, Ivins, Wisoff, Linenger (up), Blaha (down)
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/51.6 degrees

NOTE:Aft engine compartment close-outs and final stowage of experiments and equipment in the Spacehab are complete. The aft confidence test is in work today. The countdown is scheduled to begin at the T-43 hour mark at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Preliminary weather forecasts indicate a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions for launch on Sunday.

The crew of mission STS-81 is scheduled to arrive at KSC at about 10 p.m. tonight and make a brief statement to members of the media. This event will be carried live on NASA TV. The STS-81 crew are: Commander Michael Baker, Pilot Brent Jett, and Mission Specialists Jeff Wisoff, John Grunsfeld, Marsha Ivins and Jerry Linenger. John Blaha, who has been on Mir since September, will return to Earth with Atlantis and Jerry Linenger will remain onboard Mir until the next Atlantis mission to the space station in May.

KEY STS-81 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Crew arrival (10 p.m. tonight)
• Begin countdown (7 a.m. tomorrow)
• Begin loading cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' onboard storage tanks (3:30 a.m. Fri.)
• Move Rotating Service Structure to launch position (8:30 a.m. Saturday)
• Begin external tank cryogenic loading (7 p.m. Saturday)

• VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: February 13 at 2:59 a.m.
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 61 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: February 23 at 1:35 a.m.
• MISSION DURATION: 9 days, 22 hours
• CREW: Bowersox, Horowitz, Lee, Hawley, Harbaugh, Smith, Tanner
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 360 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Final checks of the hatch actuators and close-outs in the payload bay continue today. The payload bay doors are on schedule to be closed tomorrow. Airlock and aft engine compartment close-outs are also set to be completed tomorrow. Roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building is targeted for late Saturday afternoon. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Discovery will be mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters.

KEY STS-82 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Close payload bay doors (Thursday)
• Roll to VAB (Saturday)
• Roll out to Pad 39A (Jan. 17)
• Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (Jan. 22-23)

• VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102
• LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1
• TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: March 27 at 2:19 p.m. EST
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 2 hours, 30 minutes
• TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: April 12 at 7:47 a.m. EST
• MISSION DURATION: 16 days
• CREW: Halsell, Still, Voss, Thomas, Gernhardt, Linteris, Crouch
• ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 184 statute miles/28.45 degrees

NOTE: Preparations continue for removal of the Space Shuttle main engines this weekend. Pressure checks of fuel cell No. 2 are also in work. Stacking of the solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building continues.

KEY STS-83 OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only):

• Begin removal of main engines (Saturday)
• Remove right hand orbital maneuvering system pod (Jan. 16)
• Install Microgravity Science Laboratory into orbiter's payload bay (Jan. 24)
• Install Space Shuttle main engines (Jan. 26)

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