MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-67 Status Report #2

Thursday, March 2, 8 a.m. CST

Endeavour's trio of telescopes will begin astronomical observations
later today as the STS-67 science activities get started.

After a flawless liftoff at 12:38 a.m. Central this morning, the
seven-member crew quickly set up shop and began activating the ASTRO-2
science instruments. The activation of the Spacelab Pallet and the
Instrument Pointing System went well. The IPS' tracking systems are
now performing better than expected and are ready to support 16-days
of observations.

Over the next several hours, the ASTRO-2 telescopes will be activated
and checked. The three telescopes -- the Hopkins Ultraviolet
Telescope, the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo- Polarimeter Experiment and
the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope -- will then begin round- the-clock
ultraviolet observations that will add to scientists' understanding of
the universe's history and the origins of stars.

The Blue Team -- Payload Commander Tammy Jernigan, Mission Specialist
Wendy Lawrence and Payload Specialist Sam Durrance -- will wrap up its
first day on orbit shortly before noon Central time. The Red Team --
Commander Steve Oswald, Pilot Bill Gregory, Mission Specialist John
Grunsfield and Payload Specialist Ron Parise -- will then continue
with the science activities.

Endeavour is in excellent condition with no mechanical problems in an
orbit with a high point of 190 nautical miles and a low point of 188
nautical miles, completing one orbit every 91 minutes.

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