MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-62 Status Report #7
Monday, March 7, 1994, 6 a.m. CST

Flight controllers and the STS-62 crew had a quiet morning today as 
Columbia's sixteenth mission continues to progress smoothly. 

The crew started its day with a medley of armed forces anthems sung by 
the U.S. Military Academy Glee Club. The medley honored all four branches 
of the service which are represented by the STS-62 crew. Commander John 
Casper is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Pilot Andy Allen is a major in 
the U.S. Marine Corps, Mission Specialist Sam Gemar is a lieutenant 
colonel in the U.S. Army, and Mission Specialist Pierre Thuot is a 
commander in the U.S. Navy. 

After completing their post-sleep activities, the crew got started on the 
payload work for the day. Astronauts performed checks of the protein 
crystal growth experiment and the rodents that are housed in the middeck 
as part of the Physiological Systems Experiment. Gemar also continued his 
work with the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment. MODE is designed to 
study the fundamental, non-linear, gravity-dependent behavior of hybrid 
scaled structures.  Understanding these structures is important for 
designers of large space structures such as the International Space 
Station. 

Casper conducted a special presentation about the Space Acceleration 
Measurement System. A frequent flyer on the shuttle, SAMS uses sensors 
called accelerometers to take measurements of on-board vibrations and 
accelerations. Such disturbances, though slight, could affect the 
sensitive microgravity experiments. SAMS measurements allow scientists to 
adjust their experiments to improve their scientific results. 

Later today, Allen and Gemar will have some free time on orbit. Flight 
controllers try to schedule some off duty time for crew members during 
the long duration missions to allow the astronauts to rest and relax so 
that they can continue to perform at their peak levels throughout the 
flight. Casper, Thuot and Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins have free time 
scheduled for Flight Day 5. 

Columbia remains in excellent condition as it orbits the Earth at an 
altitude of 160 x 163 n.m.