MISSION CONTROL CENTER  
STS-68 Status Report #12  
  
Thursday, October 6, 1994, 5 p.m. CDT  
  
Endeavour's astronauts this afternoon sent down spectacular videotape
views of the west coast of California recorded as the shuttle passed about
115 nautical miles overhead on its 103rd orbit. The scenes covered the San
Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, Los Angeles, Vandenberg
Air Force Base and San Diego Bay. 
 
During the next few days, scientists will test a new technique called
"interferometry" as the earth observations data collection continues. The
technique is expected to yield topographic information of unprecedented
clarity by using slightly different shuttle positions to provide
three-dimensional images of the terrain below. 
 
Among the Space Radar Laboratory observations today were the North Sea,
where scientists intentionally released small oil and algae spills to see
how well the SRL-2 instruments could track them, as well as observations
of Bebedouro, Brazil; the Western and Northeast Pacific Ocean; Chickasha,
Oklahoma; the Gulf of Mexico; Ruiz, Colombia;  Sena Madureira, Brazil;
Weddell Sea; the Kliuchevskoi Volcano in Kamchatmka;  Stovepipe Wells,
California; and the Galapagos Islands. 
 
Earlier today, the Mission Management Team extended STS-68 by one day to
allow additional science. Endeavour is now expected to land at the Kennedy
Space Center at about 10:36 a.m. Tuesday. 

The orbiter continues to perform well. The only problem reported during
the day was the failure of a primary reaction control system jet. The jet
problem is not expected to have any effect on the mission since the
orbiter has two other jets thrusting in the same direction. 
 
Endeavour is currently in an 118 by 115 n.m. orbit, but upcoming maneuvers
will begin to lower the orbit to about 112 n.m. in support of the
interferometry experiments. 
 
***