MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT # 9
			STS-69


Monday, September 11, 1995, 5 P.M. CDT

  Trailing Endeavour by just over 14 nautical miles, the 2-ton Wake
Shield Facility began its first thin film processing run at 3:33
p.m. Central today.

  Payload controllers successfully commanded the Wake Shield through a
series of activities to prepare its surface for the epitaxial film
growth process, handing command duties over to Mission Specialist Jim
Newman when Endeavour moved out of range of the Tracking and Data
Relay Satellite System.  With Wake Shield's sample materials and
substrate surfaces prepared, the first of seven planned thin film
growth runs began. The first run is expected to last about three hours
and be a "dirty" run, removing any residual contamination
present in the containers housing the sample growth materials.

  Earlier this afternoon, Commander Dave Walker and Pilot Ken Cockrell
fired Endeavour's reaction control system jets in a burn that
slowed the rate at which the two spacecraft are separating. By the
time of a scheduled rendezvous burn at 4:36 a.m. Tuesday, the Wake
Shield will be approximately 30 nautical miles behind Endeavour.

   The Wake Shield is scheduled to be retrieved on Wednesday following
more than 48 hours of thin film growth activities, but will spend the
final five hours of its free-flight serving as a target as Commander
Dave Walker and Pilot Ken Cockrell aim Endeavour's jet thrusters
toward Wake Shield, to determine the effects of the jet firings on a
free-flying satellite.

   On board, the five astronauts are asleep.  Mission Specialist Mike
Gernhardt will wake up at 9:09 p.m. following a 7-hour sleep period.
His four crew mates began an 8-hour sleep period at 4:09 p.m. and will
awaken at 12:09 a.m. Tuesday.  Endeavour is currently orbiting the
Earth at an altitude of 250 statute miles, completing an orbit of the
Earth every 90 minutes. All of Endeavour's systems are functioning
in excellent shape.