MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT # 6
       			     STS-69 
 
Sunday, September 10, 1995, 10 AM CDT 
 
  Endeavour's astronauts Sunday successfully grappled the SPARTAN
solar science satellite following two days of data gathering
independent of the Shuttle Orbiter. The grapple came about 45 minutes
later than planned after the SPARTAN was in an unexpected attitude as
Endeavour approached.
 
  Commander Dave Walker and pilot Ken Cockrell manually flew Endeavour
around the SPARTAN to line up the satellite's grapple fixture with the
orbiter's robot arm.  Astronaut Mike Gernhardt captured the
free-flying spacecraft at 10:02 a.m. CDT, concluding SPARTAN's study
of the solar corona and the solar wind.
 
  With SPARTAN safely berthed in the cargo bay, the astronauts turn
their attention to the major payload of the mission, the Wake Shield
Facility. Walker and Cockrell will conduct two firings of the Ship's
Orbital Maneuvering System Engines to raise Endeavour's orbit about 15
nautical miles in preparation for the Wake Shield
operations. Astronaut Jim Newman plans to use the robot arm later
today to grapple the 2-ton Wake Shield, but will not unberth the
saucer-shaped satellite from its carrier platform until Monday
morning.  The Wake Shield is scheduled to be deployed by Newman
tomorrow at about 4:40 AM Central time to begin 50 hours of thin film
growth in an engineering demonstration for possible use in the future
in improving the quality of components for semiconductors and
high-tech electrical instruments.
 
  The astronauts were awakened just after Midnight Central time today
to the sound of "Bingo Was His Name", another tune involving a canine
theme for the self-proclaimed "Dog Crew", sung by Madeline Cockrell,
the 5-year old daughter of Endeavour's Pilot.
 
  Endeavour is orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of
about 232 statute miles with all of its systems operating in excellent
shape.