MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT #3
STS-69

Friday, September 8, 1995 5:00 p.m. CDT

  The Spartan 201 spacecraft is flying free approximately 22 miles ahead
of Endeavour following its successful deployment at 10:42 a.m. central
time today.

  Mission Specialist Mike Gernhardt released the 2800 lb. free-flyer
from the shuttle's robot arm and a few minutes later the Spartan
spacecraft performed its characteristic 45 degree pirouette maneuver
signaling the flight crew and controllers on the ground that its
internal attitude control system was functioning properly.

  On the flight deck, Commander Dave Walker and Pilot Ken Cockrell
initiated two separation burns to move Endeavour away from the Spartan
solar investigation spacecraft.  The NC-1 rendezvous burn set for late
Friday afternoon was deleted from the crew's flight plan. That burn,
which would have slowed the opening rate between the two spacecraft,
would have resulted in the spacecraft being about 60 miles apart at
the time of a scheduled Saturday morning engine firing.  Tracking
figures indicate that, even without the afternoon burn, the distance
between the two spacecraft will be about 61 nautical miles by Saturday
morning.

  Spartan will now fly free of Endeavour for about 48 hours before being
retrieved and reberthed in the shuttle's cargo bay for its return
trip to Earth. During its free flight, the two complementary
instruments on board Spartan will study the sun's corona and solar
winds.

  Crew members also kept busy with the wide variety of payloads housed
both on Endeavour's middeck and in the cargo bay. In addition, the
astronauts exercised and performed routine housekeeping chores on
board the orbiter.  Mission Specialist Jim Newman took time from his
work routine to talk with KABC Talk Radio host Michael Jackson in Los
Angeles and to take phone calls from listeners.

  Following a busy and successful day on orbit, the five astronauts will
begin a planned eight-hour sleep period at 5:09 p.m. central time,
receiving a wake-up call from Mission Control at 1:09 a.m. Saturday to
begin Flight Day 3 on orbit.

  With all of its systems in good shape, Endeavour is orbiting the Earth
every 92 minutes at an altitude of 230 miles.