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Mission Control Center
STS-62 Status Report #27

Thursday, March 17, 1994
7 a.m. CST 

Columbia's five astronauts this morning performed final checks of their
spacecraft, wrapped up their experiments and began packing their bags in
preparation for a return to Earth tomorrow.

Columbia is scheduled to fire its orbital engines at 6:18 a.m.  Central on
Friday to begin a descent that will culminate with a touchdown on the Kennedy
Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility runway at 7:09 a.m.  CST. Weather
conditions in Florida are forecast to be favorable for the landing.

Commander John Casper and Pilot Andy Allen test-fired Columbia's 38 primary
steering jets early this morning, finding them all in good shape for the trip
home.  Later, Casper and Allen each spent time practicing landings using a
portable computer simulation designed for the Shuttle.

Meanwhile, Mission Specialist Sam Gemar spent four hours in the Lower Body
Negative Pressure Device (LBNP) a medical device that may assist astronauts to
more easily readapt to Earth's gravity.  The LBNP is a bag-like device that
lowers the pressure around the lower half of the body, pulling body fluids down
in an imitation of the effects of gravity on the body.

Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins powered down Columbia's mechanical arm and
latched it in its cradle for the trip home, and Pierre Thuot completed
operation of the two protein crystal growth experiments onboard, preparing them
for the entry and landing.

Several final observations of the Shuttle glow effect, a phenomena created as
atomic oxygen and other gases impact the spacecraft, were conducted.  Columbia
performed another series of spins for the investigations that included more
releases of nitrogen gas from cargo bay canisters.

The final few hours of the crew's day will be devoted to stowing gear and
preparing Columbia for the mission's end.

The crew was awakened for the 14th day of the flight to the song "Living in
Paradise" by the Brothers Cazimero. Columbia is in an orbit with a high point
of 139 nautical miles and a low point of 105 nautical miles.